Honeythief
by Xaphrin
Summary: When Robin is turned into the darkest being imaginable, a vampire, he fears the other Titans' rejection of him. Now, there is only one team member who can understand and accept what he has become. Only one other who is almost as dark as he is. Raven/Robin
1. Chapter 1

**Honeythief  
**A Raven and Robin Story

_I'll be honest with you, dear reader, this piece of work has no merit in it what-so-ever. It is in no way, shape, or form meant to be interpreted as a good story with a well, thought out plot. It's supposed to be reflective of the romance novels you pick up for 3.99 at Wal-Mart. Fun, silly, sexy, and benign. I thought I'd hop on the Teen Titans/Vampire bandwagon for the hell of it. Please enjoy… have a good laugh if you want. I think it's pretty funny._

)O(

_  
"_There's no doubt that this will make me strong / Because it's the hardest thing I've ever done" – _Honeythief_, Halou

It was dark.

Actually, that was an understatement. It was beyond dark. Heavy clouds blocked what little light may have filtered from the stars on this moonless night. And a thick, soup-like fog weaved through and around trees and lampposts until you couldn't see five feet in front of you. It was impossible to tell what was hiding in the shadows, waiting for the Titans.

"Monsters?" Starfire turned and looked at the man next to her, fear shimmering in her eyes. She looked around, trying to see what was looking for them. Looking for what could possibly be stalking them. Nothing harmful _seemed_ to be out there, but no one could see past the tree line to tell.

"That's what the alert was about. I think it's probably someone's idea of a bad crank call. I wouldn't worry, Star." Cyborg looked at the green cheetah next to him, barely visible in the fog. "Dude, BB, if it was you playing a practical joke, I swear I'll twist your limbs into so many knots, you won't be able to move for a week."

The cheetah growled and picked up speed, obviously insulted by Cyborg's comment. Starfire frowned up at her friend, and placed a hand on his arm. "Do not worry. I do not think Beast Boy would do such a thing, Cyborg, he loves the sleep cycles far more than any of us."

"That's true. I've never seen anyone who can sleep fourteen hours a day." Cyborg snorted as the cheetah stilled in his footsteps, looking back sheepishly at the two behind him before picking up speed again. Cyborg laughed, and then turned his face to the sky, looking for the girl who flew above them. "See anything from up there, Raven?"

"Fog. Lots and lots of fog. Occasionally, I see a tree." She sighed and dropped down to their level, following the feeble light Cyborg cast on the ground. "I don't know why Robin felt it was necessary for him to go ahead of us; I can't find him anywhere now."

"If it is the dreaded gornax we are tracking, I fear for Robin's safety. The gornax will take you prisoner and stuff you full of trasbar until your insides turn green and you explode!" Starfire grabbed Cyborg's arm and yanked. She looked up at him, eyes shimmering with fear again. "Please tell me that the gornax has not come to earth. If it is so, all of humanity is in trouble!"

"Er, I think we're safe, Star. I wouldn't worry about a gornax attack anytime soon." Cyborg looked over at Raven again, sighing. "This is stupid, wandering around in all this fog with no idea where we are going and where Robin is. Come on, Rae, can't you do your little Vulcan-mind-meld-thingy and find out what is going on?"

Raven raised an eyebrow, frowning at the analogy. She was _not_ a Vulcan. "No. I make it a point not to go poking around in other people's heads unless it's completely imperative to their safety. When I fear for Robin's safety, I'll connect with him." Pause. "And don't call me a Vulcan."

Cyborg grumbled but said nothing more on the subject. The four of them wandered around for what felt like another hour before anyone spoke again, surprisingly is was Beast Boy. He turned back into a human and looked over at the dark girl. "Come on. We can't keep feeling around in the dark like this, Raven. Robin dropped his communicator some yards back and we've been walking around in circles looking for him. This is stupid. Please, do your Vulcan-mind-meld-thingy and find him before my toes freeze off!"

"Stop calling me a Vulcan." She grumbled, reluctantly tucking her legs under herself as she levitated above them. "I'm reminding you that this was not my idea. So, if Robin is angry I'm poking around in his memories, it's your fault." This was not something she approved of. Not only was it morally wrong, but establishing a direct mental bond was hard on her. Not only that, but it was hard on Robin as well. His mind wasn't wired for what she did, and it took a lot of effort on his part to keep the communication going. It just wasn't safe.

Raven took a deep breath and let it out slowly, erasing every distraction around her until she could connect with the higher plane. The world around her wasn't seen through eyes, but through her mind. She could feel the spirits of the lives around her. She heard Beast Boy's relief, Starfire's worry, Cyborg's confusion and curiosity. She felt the emotions of citizens in the city, their hatred, lust, passion, friendliness, and hurt. She felt the high of drug addicts, the low of alcoholics, the fear of cheating spouses.

But where was Robin?

_Robin?_ She called out to him, her astral body whipping through buildings and houses, looking for him. She felt walls and plants and ground, looking for any indication of him. Any hint at where he was or had been. Nothing spoke. In fact, the spirits around her shied away when she questioned them. It was as if Robin's name was suddenly cursed. A sudden, dark spot of fear blossomed in her chest, and she began to worry for his safety. What could have happened? What was so terrible that Robin's name was feared? _Robin? Where are you? It's me, Raven, I'm here to help… don't hide from me._

_Raven?_ His voice sounded nervous, worried, hurt. Like an abused animal, hiding from the world. She could feel his trepidation as he tested their connection, looking for any signs of eavesdroppers. When he found nothing to be concerned about, he answered her call. _Please, Raven, help me._

_Help you?_ Raven was struggling to hold on to the connection, but her own emotions were getting the better of her. Everything inside her was telling her to cut the bond. _What's wrong, Robin? What happened?_

_I need you._

The words were so plain and blunt that they struck more fear into her than any scream or cry of anguish could have. Raven felt herself nodding. _Alright, I'll bring the others and we'll be there quickly. Just tell me where you are._

_No! _He cried, reaching out to stop her mind. Raven was surprised at the forcefulness. Robin had never sought to stop her in anything. The last time she touched his mind, he had barely been strong enough to allow her access to his memories. What could have happened to him? What could have given him such strong telepathic powers? _No, not the others. Just you. I need you._

Raven's fear was threatening to cut their communication, but she managed to hold on with sheer resolve. She reached out and touched his mind again, looking for answers, but he blocked her exploration, which only gave her more questions. _Me? What happened, Robin? _

_I was attacked._

_By what?_

_A monster._ He didn't elaborate anymore. Giving her a mental picture of his location, he cut their connection, sending Raven reeling back into her body.

Raven gasped for air and fell to the ground with a sickening "thud". Her friends looked down at her, confusion and shock blatant on their faces. She rubbed a hand over her head, feeling as if she'd just had the wind squeezed out of her. It was not a pleasant feeling to be torn from a connection like that, and it didn't do anything to help her troubled nerves. "He's safe." She lied up into the concerned expression of Starfire. Everyone around her let out a sigh of relief. "He's in the warehouse district over by Pier Nine."

"Then we shall fetch friend Robin!" Starfire took to the sky before anyone could begin to stop her.

Beast Boy shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Some one's got to follow her or she'll tear the whole district apart looking for him or the gornax." He quickly turned into a hawk and followed after her. Cyborg watched them for a moment before he bent down and pulled Raven to her feet. Feeling her trembling hands, he raised an eyebrow.

"You're lying, aren't you?"

Raven cringed under his heavy gaze. Cyborg always knew when she was hiding things. They had a unique brother/sister relationship that the others hadn't quite developed yet. She turned away from him, feeling sheepish. "I'm sorry. He made me promise not to tell anyone where he was." She blushed and forced herself to look into her friend's eyes. "He asked for me specifically. I don't know what happened, but Robin fears what the rest of you will think or do."

"Look, I'm not one to question Robin or his judgments." Cyborg sighed and shook his head. "If he asked for you, it must be something dark. Something we can't comprehend. I imagine Starfire would not be as understanding as you."

"That's what I feared as well." Raven frowned and started for the tree line, her face dark and expressionless. She paused in the shadows, looking back through the fog to where she imagined Cyborg was. "I don't know how long I'll be gone. Please keep Starfire and Beast Boy occupied until we return. I promise to contact you when I have more to tell."

"Send Robin my regards," Cyborg said, a hint of a smile in his voice. "Tell him that I'm here for him too, should he need me."

"He knows." Raven said nothing more and took to the shadows, looking for the small, abandoned hunting shack Robin showed her. The woods seemed to press around her until she felt like she was walking through a coffin. Every emotion in her was telling her to turn around, to head back to the sanctuary of the tower and wait until this whole thing passed. Her emotions stirred within her, screaming at her, trying to talk sense into her. But Raven wouldn't listen, Robin was far too important to toss away because of fear.

What could have happened to him? What could have attacked him that made him feel that no one would understand but Raven? She ran her fingers through her hair, grumbling under her breath. This was ridiculous. Robin shouldn't have to fear what the others thought. They were a family, granted it was a hodge-podge of a family, but they still had unbreakable bonds. Nothing was bad enough to make them fear him. Right?

Raven stopped in a small clearing and saw the dilapidated hunting shack. Half of the roof was missing, and it was leaning dangerously to the left. If it wasn't for the pine tree next to the wall, Raven was sure the thing would have come down years ago. She sighed and walked up to a hole where the door must have once been. Poking her head inside, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. She didn't even see Robin. "Hello? Robin?" Nothing. "Robin, I swear, if you sent me on a wild goose chase looking for you I'm going to send you into another dimension for a week."

Nothing. Raven sighed again and stepped into the shack, feeling the floor give slightly under the pressure. The place better not come down around her ears. "Robin?" Movement. She heard scratching in the far corner, followed by the sound of a body moving. Raven tried to reach out with her powers, but she was stopped by something else. Something stronger.

Her heart stilled. This _was_ dark. "Robin?"

Before Raven even had a chance to realize what was happening, she felt two strong hands grab her wrists, shoving her against the wall. Her head knocked against an unusually sturdy beam, sending little black spots through her vision. She could feel a small ribbon of crimson spill from her skull. The cabin seemed to spin around her, and Raven looked up into a par of masked, dark eyes. They stared down at her, unrelenting and unforgiving. She frowned in response. "Robin?"

"Raven." He reached two fingers behind her head, touching the fresh, bleeding wound. He brought the few drops of blood to his lips, tasting it like a sommelier would taste a fine wine. Somewhere in the back of Raven's mind, she knew what was happening, what was _going _to happen. But she was powerless to stop it, and she wasn't even sure if she wanted to.

Without another word, the man grinned as if he had finally caught his prey. He exposed a set of glimmering white fangs, and then lowered his head and sank them into her neck.

)O( )O( )O(

_So, there it is. This story has been sitting on my computer for years, and I thought "Well, what the heck! Why not bring this out?" My inspiration comes from numerous sources like _Christine Feehan, Gena Showalter, and Even Vampires Get the Blues._ The biggest inspiration for this piece comes from my favorite band, _Halou, _and their song _Honeythief_._ _ Also, I'm considering upping the rating, we'll see. Give me thoughts on that. I hope everyone enjoyed this, and if you did leave a review. I love feedback! _

_If you liked this, you should check out my other Teen Titans stories!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Honeythief  
**_Chapter Two_

"I'm supposed to be the stronger one. You always seem to prove that theory wrong." – _Honeythief, _Halou

)O(

Raven struggled against the vice-like grip around her wrists, feeling her power drain with each suckle from his mouth. Despite the fact that she knew this was dangerous, and she knew Robin was only acting on whatever new instincts he now possessed, she couldn't help but feel… _sexy._ There was something oddly exhilarating and arousing about him feasting on her. Something incredible and feminine. Every cell in her body was telling her to respond, to give into the darkness he was offering.

Raven forced her mind back into focus; she really shouldn't be thinking things like that right now. There was a deranged vampire feasting on her; this was not the most romantic of occasions. Trying to remove him from her neck and put distance between them, she pushed her hips against him.

Dark red stained her cheeks as her body connected with his. Apparently, he felt the same kind of arousal at their unholy union. She shook her head and pushed at him again, ignoring the whispers of shivers that ran down her spine. "Robin! Stop this! I can't help you if you aren't going to cooperate."

He growled, but his hold on her didn't lessen.

"Robin. If I lose any more strength, I _cannot_ help you. Do you understand this?"

The lips stopped moving against her neck. There was a strange breathy sound, as if he were trying to sigh. He picked up his head, and ran his tongue along the wound, effectively closing it. Raven breathed a sigh of relief; no marks, thank the Goddess. The worst had stopped, now how could she get him to let her go? His hands were still wrapped like shackles around her wrists, and instead of drinking her blood, he had now taken to nuzzling the underside of her jaw, as if wallowing in her scent. Raven sighed and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. This was going to take a lot longer than she had anticipated. And be ten times more annoying.

"Alright, Robin. We've got a few options here."

His tongue slipped out and stroked her neck, sending another wave of shivers through her body. Raven wondered if he was just hungry again, or if he was trying to acknowledge that she was talking to him. She tugged at her wrists again, but his grip still hadn't eased. She couldn't use her powers, because he'd already zapped most of her energy away, and she was pretty damn sure that he would be able to stop her if he really wanted. "Robin? Are you listening to me?"

His tongue stroked her again. Obviously he _was_ listening; he sure wasn't acting like it.

"_Fine_. Here are my options, take them or leave them as you like." Stroke. He really should stop that. "One, we can stay here in this dilapidated shed." She didn't really like that option. "Two, we can find a hotel somewhere until you regain… _you_." She really didn't like that option either. "Or three, we can return to Titan Tower and sort this mess out with the rest of out team."

Robin finally picked up his head and shook it. For a moment, Raven swore she saw a glimmer of fear. Of course there was every reason to be afraid. Why wouldn't he be? He was afraid of what the team would think of him, of what he was now. She felt a sliver of pity before frustration took over again. "Well, _I'm_ not staying _here_ so I can sleep on the floor with rodents and termites. So, I guess that leaves option two."

Robin frowned, the tips of his fangs poking out from his mouth.

"You're still hungry aren't you?"

He nodded.

Something in her clicked and she raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Why aren't you talking?"

"Can't." Raven wasn't sure why she hadn't noticed it before, but his voice was garbled, as if he were speaking through a broken speaker. He dropped his hands from her wrists and raised them to his throat. Raven couldn't see anything in the dark. It looked like just a throat to her. He made that strange, breathy sound again and dug around in his utility belt for a flashlight. In the faint light of the LED bulb, Raven saw the numerous marks and scars that lined his pale throat. Whatever attacked him must have _murdered_ his vocal chords. Robin caught her gaze again. "Vampire."

Raven reached out and touched his throat, feeling the ridges of the scars. It must have been incredibly painful. Her heart softened as he turned away, ashamed. "He did that to you?"

"Her."

"Her?"

"Jinx."

"_Jinx_ did this to you?"

Robin nodded, still looking like a child who'd been caught doing something wrong. Raven wanted to reach out and comfort him, but she was sure that if she did, he would have started snacking on her neck again. She sighed and Robin looked down at the floor before meeting her eyes again. "Waited."

"Yes, you should have waited, otherwise this wouldn't have happened. We were looking for you for over _three hours_, Robin. Do you know how much you _scared_ us? Starfire is probably cursing my name right now because she can't find you. I had to send them halfway across the city so they wouldn't follow me." Raven was about to say something else, but forced herself to stop. There was a torrential storm of emotions coming off Robin, and if she said anything else she would have sent him over the edge. If that happened, there was no telling what he would do.

"Sorry." Robin backed away from her and fell to the floor with an undignified "plop". He stared up at her as if to say 'what now?'. Raven sighed and slid down the wall, feeling exhausted. This was just too much too much to handle, and now she had virtually no powers to speak of, at least not until her body regenerated more blood cells. But Robin was worse off; she could feel the hunger rolling off him in waves. The confusion, despair, regret; he was just a storm of emotions and it was beginning to effect her. She imagined that she would have to make her move soon.

"If you take any more of my blood, Robin, I'll be powerless for the next few days." Raven waited for him to look at her. After a few long moments his eyes met hers again and he nodded, still sheepish and ashamed. "I can do one of two things here. I can send out my astral self and fix your vocal chords so you can speak, or you can drink from me until you're full and we can figure this out like two mildly sane people." She paused, giving him time to weigh the options. "Either choice will still leave me powerless, and I can't do both right now. You have to make the decision. I'm willing to help."

Robin nodded and let a few minutes pass before he barked out another garbled word. "Hunger."

Raven sighed and rolled her eyes. She figured he'd pick that option. Vampire or no, he was still a man ruled by his stomach. Watching him, she ran her fingers through her hair, her own stomach twisting in knots. There was the strangest, black feeling in her heart, as if she'd just signed her own death warrant. She was giving herself freely to him, and the Goddess only knew where it would lead. Heaven or Hell? "Alright then." Picking herself up, she dusted off her cloak and stood in front of him. "Well, let's go get that hotel room."

Robin frowned. "People."

"Oh no, _you _made that choice. It's either there or the tower, because I am _not_ hiding out in this." She waved her hand around her, wondering if the rest of the roof was going to slide off soon. There was another long pause as she waited for him to speak. Raven growled under her breath and glared at him. "Look, Robin, if you want my help, you follow _my_ rules."

Robin stood up and dusted off his own cape. His gaze met her glare and he tilted his chin up, silently questioning her allegiance. Raven growled again and made a mental note to punch him for that later. He pointed to the east wall and grumbled, "Wayne."

Raven thought about it for a second. It was far away, safe, and Bruce would be there to take care of him. On the flip side, with Robin and Raven gone, it would leave Jump City vulnerable to attack, and Raven didn't want to risk it. She shook her head. "No. I am _not_ going to Wayne Manor. It's Jump City or nothing at all."

Robin pursed his lips and glared. "Shack?"

"You shut up." She reached out and grabbed his hand, starting for the whole where the door used to be. "Let's go, Robin, before I lose my patience."

"People." He tugged on his arm, pulling it out of her grip. His fear washed over her and it took Raven a second before she could regain her composure. Robin shook her shoulder. "Hunger."

"I know you hunger people. But if we get into the hotel room, you can drink from me until you burst." She turned around and raised a speculative eyebrow. "Or, we can go back to the tower, and hide in the basement until you're ready to talk to the others."

Robin flushed and looked away, shame lining his eyes again. "Starfire."

"Will understand."

He shook his head, frowning. "Fear."

"She'll fear you?" Raven sighed and rubbed her temples. If she had to put up with any more of this, she was sure she'd kill someone. "You don't know your own girlfriend very well."

He frowned again and looked away, rubbing his arm. "Aqualad."

It took Raven an extra minute before she figured out what he meant. The shock hit her initially before giving way to frustration. She rolled her eyes again, feeling ready to pull her hair out. This was _not_ happening to her. Not now. "Oh for the love of… am I actually having this conversation with you? You just turned into a freaking _vampire_, and we're talking about Starfire's relationship status. Get a grip, Robin. I'm seriously losing my patience now."

Robin glared and started for the hole in the wall. "Hotel."

"Now, we're getting somewhere!" Raven followed him out of the shack, wondering if it would fall down behind them. The fog had started to clear a little, but it was still dense for the most part. If Robin got too far ahead of her, she knew she would lose him. Raven watched as he started down the slope behind the shack. _How_, was her biggest question. How had this happened to him? How had he managed to get caught in a struggle with a _vampire_? How did _Jinx_ become a vampire? Raven wasn't really all that surprised to learn that vampires were real. Similar creatures had existed on other worlds for millennia, what would be so different from earth?

Pushing her questions to the back of her mind, she followed Robin down the slope. In the distance she could see the faint light from headlights from passing cars on the road. His motorcycle must have been hidden down there. Raven looked over at Robin, who was still sour over losing the battle for his humanity, and sighed. She reached out to touch his hand, but Robin snapped it away as if he'd been burned and stared at her, shocked. Raven stared back at him. He'd never been one to shy away from her touch before, what was so different now?

Oh, right. He was a _vampire._

"I'm sorry, Robin… we'll find a way to fix it, I promise." Raven tried to touch him again, but he took a step back. Robin looked confused and frightened again. Whatever happened to him hadn't just affected his body, but had scarred his mind as well. He was hurt, scared, suspicious and a whole slew of other things Raven was catching. She settled on giving him a smile. "There has to be a way to fix this, it can't be permanent. We'll figure it out."

He nodded and looked away, frowning. "Touch."

"You don't want me to touch you, do you?" Raven sighed as he nodded again. "Why?"

"Hurts," he mumbled before continuing down the slope. Raven sighed again and followed him, feeling more confused by that statement than any other garbled response she'd gotten yet. Why, oh _why_ had he chosen to munch on her? This would be a whole lot easier if he could talk more. If he could at least communicate properly. The scars on his throat were proof enough that it was probably torture to talk as much as he was. She didn't envy him.

Raven chased after him, worried she'd lose him in the fog. "Why does my touch hurt?"

"Hunger." He answered quickly, refusing to look her in the eyes. There was a long silence before he managed to bring his gaze up to hers. He touched his neck, frowning. "Stop. Hurts."

"Fine." Raven rolled her eyes. "But I'm going to have you write a novel when we get to the hotel. I need to know everything you do before I can even _begin_ to address what to do." Robin glanced back at her and nodded, but it didn't do much to ease Raven's nerves. She rubbed the back of her neck, the ache in her head getting worse. Goddess help her, she was sure to kill the Boy Wonder before the night was through.

)O( )O( )O(

Raven looked around at the finery and sighed, feeling out-of-place amidst all the silks and brocade. Robin was sitting on the edge of the sofa closest to his room, watching her as she poked her head into the other rooms. He had been kind enough to at least get them a suite with two separate rooms, so she wasn't in fear of Robin deciding to snack on her later. Even still, this was really quite ridiculous. It wasn't necessary to blow Titan money on something like this. The _Presidential Suite_ for Goddess' sake? She turned and looked at him. "Did you really have to choose _this_ hotel? And _this_ penthouse? Why couldn't a standard room do?"

Robin picked up a pad of paper and a pen. _Why? Don't you like it?_

"It's fine… I just don't feel like we need all this." Raven fell back onto the sofa across from him and watched as he wrote on the paper.

_I just figured you might like somewhere nice to stay, since we might be here for a while. I imagine you'll get pretty tired if you're going to be my only food source. Ha ha._ Robin wasn't smiling, and Raven highly doubted he meant the comment as a joke. His face was pale and she could see the pain and frustration in him from trying to keep his hunger at bay. He rubbed his forehead and wrote something else. _Thank you, Raven. I knew I could turn to you._

"That's what the creepy girl is here for, isn't it?" She sighed handed the pad and pen back to him. At least she was getting more than one-word answers now. She examined his crest-fallen face and wondered if there was anyway to bring Robin back, or would he always be like this? Would he always be a vampire? Raven chewed on her lip, but shook her worries off. She couldn't think about that now, there was business to attend to. "So, tell me what happened."

Robin frowned and rubbed his forehead again, as if trying to recall the memory. There were a few, long minutes before he managed to get the pen back to the paper. _It's hard to remember what exactly happened. I know I followed Jinx into the clearing around the shack. It started off as a pretty standard fight, her spells against my martial arts. Typical. But half-way through, something seemed to go off in her and she went after me harder. She kept attacking me relentlessly, but I still got a few good hits in. My memory gets hazy here. I know she crushed my throat, and I could feel all my blood leave my body. I thought I was going to die._

Raven felt her heart rise to her throat as he continued writing.

_She stood over me and spit off some nonsense about how she felt so alone, how there weren't any others like her. And when I felt my life leave me, she slit her wrist and spilled some of her own blood into my wound._

So that was it. Jinx was a vampire. It made sense when you really thought about it. After all, she did have some pretty amazing powers. You didn't get powers like that from a freak accident at a nuclear power-plant. Raven looked up into his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "So, that must have been how she changed you. But, then what?"

Robin started to chew on his lower lip, but his fangs punctured the skin and he winced. Raven was proud of him; he'd done really well so far. When they checked into the hotel, he hadn't attempted to eat any one in the lobby, guests or otherwise. He must have started gaining control over his hunger, but Raven knew he must also have been dying. She wanted to reach out and comfort him, but he would have shied away from her touch again. Raven sighed and watched as he continued to write.

_Fire. I felt fire. My whole body was on fire. I didn't know what happened or how to stop it. I felt like I was going to burst into flames at any point, and then… blackness. _He paused and tapped the pen against the paper before finishing. _I must have been out the entire time you guys were looking for me. I don't remember anything else, except you. You woke me up, calling for me. _He looked into her eyes and Raven found herself wondering when her heart would start beating again._ Thank you._

"You can stop thanking me, I haven't figured anything out yet." Raven leaned back into the sofa and pondered their predicament. She was going to have to look things up in her books, but they were all the way over at the tower and she feared leaving Robin alone in his current state. There was no telling what he would do if she didn't keep a close eye on him. She _could_ ask Cyborg to bring the books over, but then she wondered how he would take the change of their leader. And how would Robin feel when he saw his best friend feared him?

This was one hairy situation.

Robin put the pad of paper in her line of vision. _Did you tell anyone?_

Raven shook her head before speaking. "No." Pause. "Well, Cyborg guessed it all on his own. But, Star and Beast Boy are oblivious."

Robin nodded, looking surprisingly calm. _I figured Cy would figure it out. _

"He only knows it was something dark." Raven said, taking a long, slow breath. Her nerves were taking a beating today and she needed to calm down. "He said that if you asked for me it was something the others couldn't comprehend." She watched as Robin nodded, his expression unreadable. There were a few minutes of peace and Raven glanced at the clock. There were only a few hours until dawn came, and she wondered if all those silly myths were true. Would dawn kill him? Or was it just a hoax? She imagined that they'd figure it out soon.

_I hate to ask, Raven. _Robin looked into her eyes and Raven felt her heart hiccup again. Whatever he was doing was driving her body insane. He needed to stop looking at her as if she were a delicious snack._ But, the hunger is eating me alive. I need to…_ He couldn't finish writing, and looked away, ashamed.

"It's _fine_, Robin. I promised to help you, no matter what." Raven forced a smile, despite her fears, and pulled up her sleeve, exposing her forearm. Robin blinked for a second, staring at the flesh, before he frowned and turned away. He picked up the pad of paper again.

_No. It doesn't taste the same. There isn't as much oxygen in your limbs._

"Are you serious, Robin?" Raven rolled her eyes to the ceiling, feeling as if nothing could go right today. She picked up an eyebrow and stared at him for a moment, he returned the glare, obviously not going to back down from his preference. Raven sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Are we really going to argue over what part of my body you want to drink blood from?"

Robin pursed his lips and raised the paper to her face. '_Yes_' was written across the whole page and underlined five times. Raven growled and threw the pad at him, but he caught it easily, his gaze never breaking from her face. They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Raven had to give in. She wasn't going to torture her team leader because she didn't like him feasting on her neck.

"_Fine_. But, I swear, I'm going to punch you in the face."

_Understandable. _Robin put the pad away and moved to sit next to her. Everything felt suddenly awkward, as if this was more than just a simple exchange of sustenance. It felt as though they were going to indulge in few, more _physical_ sins, and break a couple heavenly laws while they were at it. Raven felt her face flush and her heart skip a few beats as his fingers toyed with the zipper at the back of her uniform. He pulled it down a few inches and peeled the skin-tight fabric off her neck and left shoulder.

Somewhere in the back of her mind Raven acknowledged that she was glad it had been the day before laundry day. That had forced her to put on the only attractive bra she owned, and the delicate, black lace straps looked pretty against her pale skin. There was another, long pause as Robin looked into her eyes, seeking her acceptance of what he was about to do to her. Raven saw his fear again, along with the shame and discontent. His emotions trampled her sane thoughts, and she couldn't do anything but nod, allowing him access to her body.

Raven really expected him to just sink into her neck and keep the situation as no-nonsense as possible. But she should have known better than that. She should have known that there was nothing left to keep this situation normal. Nothing to even _hint_ at sanity.

Robin's fingers slipped under her bra strap and pulled in off her shoulder. He pressed his lips to the exposed skin, kissing slowly along the elegant line of her shapely shoulders. His tongue slipped out and dipped into the raw, red crease her bra strap had made. The sensation of it made Raven forgot where she was and what was supposed to be happening. Her head lolled onto the back of the sofa, exposing her vulnerable throat. She felt Robin's hunger, his arousal, and it only fed her own emotions more.

Robin kissed his way up to her jugular and he licked once. Twice. Three times, before sinking his fangs into her neck, and sending Raven into bliss.

)O( )O( )O(

_So, there it is. I hope everyone enjoyed this installment of _Honeythief. _I wanted to express my delight with everyone who enjoys this story. I'm glad people like it. I also have some clarifications to do. _

_What I meant by "I think it's pretty funny", was not an expression slap-stick comedy, but quirky teasing of the 3.99 Harlequin novels. I feel like a Teen Titans/Vampire story is really kind of silly in its own right, but after doing some searching today, I've discovered that there really aren't any _good _ones out there, so I hope this fills the void with its unique quirkiness. _

_TA DA! Well, I hope you enjoyed it and leave a review or feedback. I love to hear what you think. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Honeythief  
**_Chapter Three_

"And when I'm lost, you search for me. And when I doubt, you're my belief" – _Honeythief_, Halou

)O(

Robin knew that what he was doing was wrong. Every last human part of him screamed protest against the strange desire he now felt for his friend. Even the vampire part of him knew it was wrong, and that new part of his soul seemed to want to indulge in _everything_ sinful; including the soft curves of a woman. But, Raven looked so vulnerable lying there, so innocent. It was hard to ignore what she was, and the _way _she was. Robin felt his arousal spike sharply at the sight, and all he could think about was claiming her small, beautiful body.

The vampire in him agreed to an extent. But_ it_ was looking for a mate, someone permanent. From his new instincts, Robin was discovering that a mate was necessary for survival, as integral to his existence as drinking blood and breathing. The thought of making Raven his mate made the vampire side of him hiss with frustration and anger. But when Robin thought of Jinx (in any form, good, bad or dead, and dead was his preference) he could feel it purr in content. It was annoying, and Robin was trying very hard to ignore the new intuitions inside him. He had more important things to be concerned with than the finding of a mate. Especially if the vampire part of him chose a tart like Jinx over a woman like Raven.

He felt his fangs recede back into his gums and his hunger subside. The ache that had dominated him for the entire night seemed to dissipate, and Robin took his last deep gulp of Raven's essence. He pressed his tongue to the wound in her neck and lapped, taking in the last drops of her blood and closing the wound he created. He was done feeding, but he didn't want his lips to leave her skin. She tasted sweet. Every part of her. Robin's gaze drifted over her body again, before he groaned and stood up, backing away from the temptation.

Raven had never affected him this way in his entire life. She'd always been his best friend, someone he could turn to in a time of need, but not… _this._ Now, she looked like a feast set out for a hungry vampire. Her head had fallen back and rested on the top of the sofa, her skin hadn't lost color with the absence of her blood but had flushed to a rosy pink, her lips trembled slightly, and her fingers dug into the sofa cushions.

What was worse though was that Robin could smell every hormone and pheromone that ran through her body and caressed her skin. He could literally _smell_ her emotions. Her fear, her confusion, anger, acceptance… but most of all, he could smell her arousal. He could smell the sharp, musky scent that called to him, and Robin wanted to take her, consequences be damned.

This needed to stop. Now.

"Raven." He tried to call to her, but it came out a strange, guttural noise, and the vibration sent pain reeling through his body again. He cringed and felt a frown form on his lips. What had Jinx _done_ to him? Pushing back the pain, he called again. "Raven."

Amethyst eyes opened up, fringed by dark lashes. She lay there a moment, looking dazed. Robin felt his gut clench hotly as she looked towards him. They stared at each other for a long moment before he turned away, hoping to hide his shame from her. He knew that she couldn't have known what he had been thinking, but he still had such wicked thoughts about her. Imagining her supple body pressed against him, as he claimed her for his mate. The guilt was enough to eat him alive.

Raven blinked several times, trying to regain the memory of what just happened. She rubbed a hand over her face before pushing herself into a proper sitting position. She looked over at the clock, and Robin watched the flush leave her pale skin. Zipping up her uniform, she returned to her normal self, any evidence of their exchange leaving her body. Raven was all business and no-nonsense, and something in her severity left Robin feeling strange and bereft, as if he'd just had sex with a prostitute.

Raven stood, but her body swayed a little, drained from Robin's feasting. He felt a twinge of regret at taking as much blood as he did. After his previous snack in the shed, and now his gluttonous feast, it was a miracle she was alive, let alone awake. She forced a smile up at him, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Done?"

He nodded.

"Good… I'm…" She blinked and looked at him again. Her face paled considerably. "I think… I'm gong to lie down." Raven took one step and Robin watched as her knees buckled and her legs give out from under her. He jumped forward and caught her tiny frame in his arms. She blinked up at him, her eyes desperate to focus. "Oh. Well, I don't imagine this is good."

His lips turned up at the edge and he couldn't keep from smiling. Robin wanted to kiss her bad. Anything to reciprocate what she had done for him. Raven had dropped everything to track him down, to find him and make sure he was safe. She hadn't questioned him when he told her to come alone. But most importantly she hadn't feared him when he drank from her. She didn't even shy away for a moment, but had stepped up and addressed the situation head-on. His heart called to her, even if the vampire in him did not.

"Bed." He growled. Raven blinked and nodded, her eyes still unable to focus. Robin, without any conscious thought, swept her body up into his arms. There was a mild shock that went through him. He felt strong. Incredibly strong. It was as if drinking from Raven had pushed his body to the brink of perfection and there were no more limits. Maybe, there were _some_ perks (however few) to being a vampire.

"Hey, Robin?"

He looked down at her, unable to vocally respond.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be strong enough."

Robin felt remorse wash through his body. _Her_ not strong enough? Robin should have been smart enough to wait for the team. Robin should have been strong enough to run away from the fight while he had the chance. Robin should have been strong enough to resist the temptation of her blood. Raven wasn't to blame in any sense of the word. He walked into her room and placed her carefully on the plush bed. She smiled up at him.

"I'll try harder next time."

Robin grabbed her hand and caught her gaze. He shook his head, frowning. He'd be damned if Raven tried any harder, it would kill her.

"No? Why not?"

"Tomorrow." Pain. Robin bit his lip before he finished. "Explain."

"Oh." Raven put her head down on the pillow and pulled the covers around her. "Okay. G'night." Before Robin even had a chance to respond, Raven had fallen into well-deserved sleep. He stroked hair back from her forehead and watched her. Sorrow, pride, guilt, anger, and a whole slew of other emotions welled up into his chest at the sight. She was wonderful, but he didn't deserve a friend like Raven.

Robin wasn't even sure _what_ he deserved at this point. He was confused and torn, distraught and afraid. Being a vampire should have made him feel like the whole world was coming down around his ears, but it didn't. In fact, Robin didn't feel all that different than his human self. He still liked videogames, had a constant desire for pizza, thought Starfire was pretty, and enjoyed martial arts. There were just _new_ experiences added to him, like the lust for blood, the heightened senses, and the incredible strength. Other than that, Robin didn't feel all that different.

Oh, who was he trying to kid? He was a _freak_. A thing that was supposed to keep to the shadows of mythology books. His body was completely different, and now his vampire and human instincts were fighting over Raven and _Jinx,_ the little chit who tried to kill him.

Robin growled to himself and stared out at the city. If the last dregs of his human body were telling him to keep Raven, and his vampire instincts were telling him to claim Jinx, Robin was confused as to what he was _supposed _to do. Why did the vampire in him want Jinx? Why not Raven? She was a much more suitable mate than the girl who tried to kill him. He rubbed his forehead, feeling like he was running around in circles.

He sat on the sofa for a long while, trying to remember every detail of the fight with Jinx. Everything felt hazy and unusual, as if he'd watched the entire thing like it was a bad movie. Most of it he recalled through bits and pieces, but the big stuff was all a jumbled mess of emotional snapshots. How had she managed to crush his vocal chords? How did she have the strength? But most importantly, _why_ did she turn him? Why not some other shmuck? Why was Robin her target?

He sighed and turned on the TV, hoping the sound would help him focus. Robin sat there for a long while before discovering it didn't. The familiar noise hummed on about some new-and-improved total gym that he'd heard a million times before. Against the skyline of the city, the gray fingers of dawn began to spread out across the sky. Vaguely, he wondered if he should close the curtains and hide in shadows like he'd seen in the movies. That thought would have to wait. His head bobbed once before falling against the back of the sofa as sleep took over.

)O( )O( )O(

It was nearly two in the afternoon before Raven felt her body wake. She had spent the entire morning, and half of the afternoon, in her deepest sleep, her body regenerating as much as it could. She felt better, but her powers still wouldn't return for a few days, and she was helpless until they returned. The sun pooled across the plush comforter and Raven stretched and sat up. Her limbs felt leaded and unusual, as if they weren't her own. It really wasn't a big surprise, considering all the blood that Robin had taken from her last night.

Last night! Robin! Raven shot up from her pillow, eyes fixating on the doorway to the living room. It was already past morning, and she still wasn't sure if his body could tolerate sunlight. What if something had already happened to him? What if the sun burnt him into ashes and there was nothing left? Now that she thought about it, she wasn't even sure if it was only direct sunlight, or could sunlight through windows be just as deadly? What about sunglasses? But… hadn't she seen Jinx in the sun before? Hadn't they _fought_ in the sun before? Raven sighed and rubbed her forehead. What _exactly _was the protocol for vampires and sun?

She threw off the covers and rushed into the living room. Robin was sitting on the sofa with a cup of coffee and a bleary-eyed look that told Raven he had just woken up. He blinked a few times before grunting, which was his usual "good morning", vampire or not. He never was much of a morning person. Raven breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't a pile of ashes on the floor; it'd have been a mess to clean up.

She walked to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup, and then sat down next to him. They stared at each other for a minute before Robin thrust his arm into a stream of sunlight, showing nothing more than his tanned, toned skin. There was no burning, blistering, and (thank goodness) no sparkling. Raven watched for a moment. "So, I take it sun doesn't bother your skin then? That makes things easier."

Robin shook his head and picked up the pad of paper and a pen. _Food doesn't either. I had a bagel before you got up, and now I really want some eggs and bacon. I have no idea why._

Raven took a sip of her coffee, letting things settle in her mind. She _really_ needed her books to compare Robin's condition to others. Was his an unusual case, or was it perfectly normal for vampires to live in the sun and eat eggs? If that was typical, then why was being a vampire so terrible? Oh, right, the whole _drinking human blood_ thing. That would be pretty unsettling for most earth-dwellers. "Well, that's not what I expected at all."

Robin nodded. _Me either._

Raven sunk into the sofa cushions and watched the muted soap opera for a few minutes. What should she do? What _could_ they do? As far as Raven knew, this curse was irreversible, and Robin was stuck as a vampire for the rest of his life. She hadn't told him that, because she was pretty damn sure it would crush his spirit, and that was the only thing he had left to cling to.

She sighed and took another sip of her coffee. The only thing they could do now is either pray to the Goddess that there was a cure, or help him cope. Or, they could find Jinx. There was always the chance that she knew more than they did. Although, Raven was sure that Robin wouldn't like having the girl who tried to kill him over for tea and cookies. She looked at him, and tried to keep the situation light. "Well, the good news is that you're not sparkly. Which will keep the hoard of fan-girls from following us around town."

Robin made a strange wheezing sound that reminded Raven of laughter. He picked up the pen again. _Men who "sparkle" aren't usually into girls, just so you know_.

Raven couldn't keep the smile off her lips. He was in a better mood than she thought. It was amazing, given his current situation. "So I hear." Pause. "So, now what, Robin?"

_Food. Eggs, preferably._ What a man, choosing to think with his stomach before logic. Raven sighed and took another sip of coffee. The silence washed over them for another, long moment. She turned back to him, and gauged his expression. He was waiting for her to make a decision regarding their plans. Raven sighed and put her cup down on the coffee table.

"I was going to contact Cyborg and have him bring some things over for us. We need street clothes, my books, and…" She chewed on her lower lip and watched his face fall. He didn't want to see Cyborg, or anyone else for that matter, but they couldn't live like hermits in the hotel room forever. They needed supplies. "I was thinking it might be useful for Cyborg to bring over a few pints of my blood. In case we need it in an emergency."

Every team member gave a few pints of their own blood over the period of a few months. That way if major surgery ever needed to be done, they had a stash available. Raven didn't like dipping into her store of blood, but she couldn't think of anything else that would be as "emergency" as Robin turning into a vampire and feasting on her every few nights. She looked back at him. "Is that going to be alright with you? If Cyborg comes here with blood, he's going to suspect the worst."

_I know he will. _Robin thought for a long while before nodding in agreement with her. _Yes, it's fine if he comes. I know you need your things, and I want him to tell the others that I'm all right. I just don't want __him__ to fear me._

"You know he won't, he's your best friend." Raven frowned as Robin turned away, guilt lining his eyes. He was more upset with himself than anything else, and Raven wasn't sure how to handle him. Anger probably wouldn't help any.

_I'm going to shower. _Before Raven even had a chance to respond, he had retreated into his bathroom. She wanted to yell after him, but that wouldn't solve anything, it would only make him even more and she couldn't afford that right now. She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache come on.

Raven sighed and grumbled more to herself than anyone else. "Alright. _Fine_, I'll give him a call." She reached over and picked up the phone, dialing the tower's private number. It took a few rings before Cyborg picked up. Beast Boy wasn't allowed to touch the phone, because he couldn't carry on a normal conversation for more than ten seconds, and Starfire still thought you had to shout into the receiver in order to be heard.

Raven was greeted with a chuckle. "Ooh, fancy hotel you're staying at, Rae. Nice." The comforting sound of his voice felt like music on Raven's ears. It was nice to hear sanity sometimes, even if that sanity came from a half-robot. "You know, if you two just wanted to be alone for a while, and have a romantic getaway, all you had to do was ask. We're always happy to leave you alone." Raven's face fell. So much for the only sane person she had left to cling to. Now, she had to kill him, what a shame.

"Ha ha, very funny, Cyborg." Raven blew out a huff of aggravated air. She glared at a vase in front of her and wished she had the powers to make it explode. She needed an outlet right now, or else she was going to blow up at either one of them. Robin or Cyborg, whoever came first. "You're a real comedian. Look, we need your help."

"Ah." There was the sound of him moving somewhere, hopefully, more private. "So, you did find Robin? That's good to hear. The others aren't real happy with what you did to them last night." Raven cringed as she thought about it. "In fact, Starfire is still out searching, and Beast Boy thinks you made a very funny prank."

"That's what I was going for, hilarity in the time of darkness." Raven rolled her eyes, and took a deep breath. Stupid Beast Boy. Some day she would teach him a lesson. "You didn't tell anyone where I went, did you?"

"Nope. Not my place to tell secrets, Rae, you should know that." She could feel his honesty over the phone and Raven couldn't help but feel relieved. Robin's secret was safe for now. "How long are you going to be gone?"

Raven flushed, sensing the confused and distraught tone. He must have been fed-up with Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum over there, and she couldn't blame him. However, if Raven was honest with herself, she wasn't sure when she'd even get to step outside of the hotel room, let alone when they'd return home. She sighed.

"Thank you, Cy, for watching out for us… I knew I could trust you." There was a short pause, and Raven decided she couldn't stall any longer. She needed her books as soon as possible, any more delaying, and there was no telling what would happen to Robin. "As for when we'll get to come home… I don't know. It looks like we might be here a while before we can sort out this… _mess_."

"_Mess_?" She could feel his incredulity over the phone. "That doesn't sound very promising. He wasn't turned into a werewolf, was he?" There was the sound of raucous laughter and Raven wished she could tell him that a werewolf wasn't that far from the truth.

"It's not very promising, but I'm going to give it my all." She sighed. "Look, I need you to bring over some things for us. I need some street clothes from Robin's closet, some from my closet, a few books, and a few pints of my blood-"

"Your _blood_?" His voice came out so loud, that Raven had to hold the phone away from her ear. She glared at it before glaring in the direction of Robin's room. He had a way of making her life as messy as possible, didn't he? "What in the hell happened!? Is everything okay!? Do you need medical help? Raven, answer me!"

"Er… well, define 'okay' and I'll let you know if we fit the bill."

"_Raven…_"

"We're fine, Cyborg…" Raven sighed. "Fine" was not a word she would have used, but it was better than having her friend yell at her for an hour straight. She could pretend to be fine for a while if it kept waters calm. "It's just an odd turn of events and I'm still not quite sure how to deal with it yet. The blood is just a precaution." Sort of.

There was a long pause and he seemed to calm down, but was still suspicious. "So, what happened? Or am I not allowed to know yet?"

"No, it's not that…" Raven chewed on her lip, thinking carefully. "It's just that it's not my place to tell you everything. I'm only here to help the victim, but if you come over, I'm sure Robin will tell you everything you want to know."

There was another pause and Cyborg let out a long, deep breath. "Alright, but it better be one hell of a story."

"It'll be novel to thrill you." Raven rolled her eyes at her own pun. Was she picking up on some of Beast Boy's bad habits? "So, we need clothes, my blood, and a few books from my library." She rattled off as many volumes as she could think of, hearing the sound of a pen moving. At least he was on-top of things. "Now, this is the only time I'll ever let you in my room, so don't think you can waltz in there whenever you want. Oh, and whatever you do, keep Beast Boy out. Lest the two of you end up parading around in my mind again."

Cyborg snorted, but there was little humor behind it. "Alright. I think I got everything, but I was wondering if you needed any of Robin's blood."

Raven chewed on her lip and thought about it. She didn't want to have to drag around several pints of blood and not use them. She highly doubted that his old blood cells were even compatible with Robin's system now. "I don't think so…"

There was a shocked silence as Cyborg thought about what she had just said. "Did he hurt _you_, Raven? If you need help, let me know and I'll get you out."

Raven felt a flush rise to her cheeks. Cyborg was thinking the worst, but the _wrong_ worst. Technically Robin hadn't "hurt" anyone. He'd just been a little eager in gorging himself on her blood. "Not really, no."

There was a heavy silence before Cyborg spoke again. "That's an awkward response."

"It's an awkward situation."

"Fine. I'll let it slide this time." Cyborg growled, not satisfied with her answer, and read back the list he had written. Raven couldn't blame him, he was being left out of the loop and he hated that more than anything. Cyborg finished reading. "Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of."

"Okay, I'll be there in an hour, Raven… just… be safe, okay?" He took a long, deep breath. "I worry about what you have to deal with sometimes. It's not safe for you."

Raven smiled, but she couldn't feel the humor behind it. "You have no idea, Cyborg."

)O( )O( )O(

_Okay, so that was wordy and a little awkward, but it's going somewhere, I promise. I hope everyone enjoyed this piece, let me know if you see any errors or if you just want to flame me, I can take it. Let me know what you think! _


	4. Chapter 4

**Honeythief  
**_Chapter Four_

**"**Sometimes I doubt the path I chose, Sometimes my dreams feel all on hold" - _Honeythief,_ Halou

)O(

Awkward was an understatement.

In fact, Cyborg was sure this whole situation had moved past "awkward" and into "Bizarro-Land". He sat next to Raven and stared at Robin as if he'd grown another head. Although, now that Cyborg thought about it, a second head would have been more believable than what Raven had just told him. A second head would also be more accepted among the rest of the Titans. A _vampire_ wasn't something he knew how to contend with.

A _vampire_ made him think of Dracula, of dark and stormy mountains, of young girls being dragged off into the night in a cloud of superstition. The word didn't draw up any ideas of his spikey-headed, fearless leader with a love of pizza, who had been too stupid to call in back-up. He looked over at Raven and scratched his head, still feeling lost.

"_Really_?" Pause. "Okay, let me see if I got the story straight? I wouldn't want to botch any details." Incredulous was also an understatement. He jerked his thumb at Robin. "The genius Wonder Boy over here ran off without us, got into a fight with Jinx, who nearly killed him, but in an act of some kind of twisted charitable kindness turned him into a _vampire_?"

"Yes." Raven blinked and sighed, looking taxed. Cyborg couldn't blame her; she'd been through hell and back again just to keep Robin remotely sane.

He sighed, and leaned back into the sofa to about the logistics of "Bizarro-Land" a little more. He was trying to keep an open mind about this, but a _vampire_? The dark thing of legends… well, sort of. He looked back at Robin, who was parked in a stream of sunlight coming through the window, and sipping a soda. His face remained calm and placid, but Cyborg knew better. He could see the hidden storm tearing him apart inside. The same storm that ripped through everyone in the room: if Raven didn't find a way to fix this mess, then… Cyborg squashed that thought, and decided not to traverse down that option.

Failure wasn't an outcome, not with Robin.

"Uh-huh." He turned his confused stare toward Robin and raised an eyebrow. "And now the plan is to let him munch on you every night until you fix this?"

Raven opened her mouth to speak, but she didn't have a chance. A pad of paper went flying through the air and smacked Cyborg dead in the face. He gave a start and looked down at it in his lap. Robin's messy scrawl filled the page. _I don't munch on Raven every night! And it's not like I __want__ to! I don't have a choice! _Robin glared at his friend as he looked up.

Cyborg sighed and was about to say something to the only sane person left in the room, but her face was stained with a dark shade of crimson and she couldn't look him in the eyes. She coughed slightly and stood up to head into the kitchenette, avoiding the situation. Cyborg rolled his eyes to the ceiling, knowing there was some other undercurrent neither one of them was telling him. And he had a good suspicion that he didn't want to know what it was.

"Look, I don't know what is going on between you two, and I don't care. But, I want to know how we are going to deal with this situation. Starfire isn't going to stop looking for you, and even if we tell her you're safe she'll demand to see you every five minutes." Cyborg tossed the pad of paper back at Robin. "And Beast Boy isn't going to be very understanding… he's already pretty sour because we eat meat. I can't imagine he'd be accepting of a cannibal."

_I am not a cannibal!_ Robin glared at Cyborg who just grinned back, obviously meaning it to be a joke. Robin didn't find it very funny, but Raven snickered politely behind a hand. Robin glared at her. _It's not funny, either of you. This is serious._

"I don't think whining about it is going to fix anything, Robin." Raven riffled around in the cupboards, looking for tea. After all, that was her security blanket when things went haywire. "We have to be level headed about this, practical."

Robin grunted and grabbed the paper. _You're always so damn practical._

"Some one in this situation needs to have sanity, and it certainly isn't you." Raven puffed out a breath of indignant air and turned away from him, continuing to look for tea. Robin shook his head, but wisely chose not to respond. He leaned back into the sofa and fidgeted with the straw in his glass.

Something in Cyborg twisted painfully at the sight of Robin. He looked so dejected, like he'd been stomped on and crushed until there were only a few pieces of Robin left in his unusual, new body. Everything about him had changed, it was subtle but it turned him into a new person. He looked taller, broader, and there was this constant shine of onyx in his eyes. Robin looked every bit the predator he had become.

Robin picked up the pen and wrote. _So, what should we do now? We can't just assume this is going to fix its self. _There was a long pause as everyone gave it some thought. Cyborg wasn't even sure what they _could_ do. This was a darkness no one knew how to fix, let alone understand. This was something even _Raven_ wasn't sure of. He rubbed the back of his head and looked at his two companions, who were both deep in thought.

Raven had give up her search for tea and returned to the sofa. She flopped down next to Cyborg and sighed up at him. "Well, you brought by books, so at least we can get started somewhere. I know of similar creatures that exist in other worlds, but I am not familiar with them. I need to study plenty before I can suggest anything to you, Robin."

Robin ducked his head slightly and nodded. Cyborg saw the shame in him, the guilt he felt at taking Raven away from her normal life, of dragging her down into the hell he found. Robin knew he had done something irrevocable to her, something he may regret for the rest of his life. Cyborg sighed and tried not to think about what was happening to his friends. He tried to think back to yesterday, when their greatest threat was a jewel heist. Those times seemed so mild in comparison to this.

"I think the best thing for us to do, maybe not right now but eventually, is to return to the source." Raven's calm voice pierced Cyborg's thoughts and made Robin turn to stare at her. There was a long moment as Robin's face melted from shock into fierce anger. The air stilled, as if Robin was silently daring her to continue, given what the consequence may be. Raven frowned at his expression, but went on, despite the threat. "My best plan for us, Robin, would be to find Jinx and ask her what she knows. She is the key right now."

Cyborg leaned back into the sofa, his fingers toying with the tassels on the cushions. Robin's eyes narrowed, and he let loose a low, feral growl. The air turned pungent and acrid at the suggestion and Cyborg realized that Raven had hit a very sensitive nerve. Of course he would react like that, what Raven was suggesting was the same as a piece of bacon deciding to go visit the butcher after it had already been sold, fried, and devoured. Robin felt betrayed and angry, and Cyborg couldn't blame him. But, Raven was right.

"No." Robin snarled at her.

"I know you don't want to hear it, Robin, but I was hoping we could talk to her. If she's a vampire, she should know what to expect. Maybe she had a slightly less violent turning. Maybe she knows why you can go out into the sunlight, and eat eggs. I don't know. The only thing we can assume right now is that she knows more than us, and that puts us at a disadvantage." Raven sighed and rolled her eyes, uncaring of the storm brewing inside him. She was going to face the truth, why couldn't Robin? Jinx was their only _true _link to what was happening to him. His attacker was the only one they could turn to right now, the only one with concrete answers. She stood up and faced her companion, keeping her face blank to avoid stirring the pot. "It's worth a shot."

"No!" Robin threw the glass he had been holding, and it shattered against the far wall. The air stilled for a second time and no one dared to breathe. Raven stared at him for a long while, and Cyborg could feel the threads between them tie, untie, and rearrange until it felt as if every emotion was going to burst, and things were going to be said that could never be retracted.

There was a long, heavy silence before anyone moved. Raven's lips turned down into a frown and even Cyborg could see she'd been hurt. She was only trying to help. "_Fine_. Have it your way, you spoiled little brat. Just sit there for the rest of your supposedly immortal life and munch on every human you pass."

She snarled back at him before storming to her box of books. With what dignity she could muster, she gathered them up, her small, powerless body trembling under their weight. "I'll be in my room. Don't bother me unless the apocalypse has started, or Robin comes to his senses… although I suppose the former will happen first." She gave Robin another glare before heading into her room and closing the door. There was the sound of the books falling on the floor, a muffled cry, and then the door lock clicked into place.

The silence was deafening.

"You really are a fucking dick." Cyborg shook his head and glared at his friend, Robin at least had the decency to look a little sheepish, even if he was still indignant. But, that did nothing to help Cyborg's desire to punch him. "She's really sticking her neck out for you, Robin, and you don't even realize what she's been going through. Are you so fucking blind you can't see that she's given up everything to take care of you. Her powers, her friends, her safety, everything. And you go and throw a temper-tantrum like a child."

Robin stood and walked to where the glass shattered. He stared at it for a long minute, as if he could piece it back together. Cyborg let out another deep sigh, wondering what he was thinking, what he was feeling, _anything_ to understand this abomination he was becoming. Robin was known to have violent bursts of emotion, but never _at_ Raven. Something was stirring in him, and Robin didn't want to face it. Robin made a strange, breathy sound and bent down. He cleaned the mess he made with deliberate slowness, as if doing something normal was going to take away the sting.

"Robin. We can't ignore this, we can't pretend that Jinx didn't do this." Cyborg waited for a response, but nothing came and he continued. "Look, I know you don't want to hear this, I know it makes you angry. But Raven is right. We need to find Jinx, we need to sort this out. And, truth be told, I wouldn't be surprised if she came looking for you again. She turned you, a piece of her runs in you now, no matter how much you want to deny it."

Robin growled, but didn't stop his task of cleaning. He was looking for a shred of sanity in this world, and Cyborg couldn't blame him. He sat back on the sofa and waited for Robin to finish looking for normalcy. It took a few minutes before he joined him on the sofa, the pen and paper in his hands. _I didn't __want__ to yell at her. I know Raven is really trying hard for me, but I can't be around Jinx right now… I crave her._

Forget "Bizzaro-Land" this whole thing had turned into another dimension. Cyborg stared at the paper for a long minute before he could find his voice. "_What? _I'm sorry, did you just write what I think you did?"

Robin nodded and picked up the paper again. _Well, that's not exactly true. The vampire in me craves a vampire mate, and Jinx is a healthy, ovulating vampire with a womb. My vampire wants her to procreate, to establish a clan, but my human side is still dominant. It's like a war inside of me, but the two halves have kind of settled on a compromise. Someone dark enough for the vampire, but…_ Robin stopped writing abruptly and turned away, his face flushing red.

Cyborg stared at Raven's door and then back to Robin. "Oh, for the love of God. This couldn't get any weirder if it wanted to. You're telling me that there's a war between your vampire side and your human side over Raven and Jinx?" Robin nodded before Cyborg continued. "And if Jinx comes here you're going to jump her so you can have bouncing, bloodsucking babies?" Robin nodded again. "But Raven is part-demon so your vampire side can settle with her?" Nod. "But it really wants Jinx because she's a vampire?" Nod. "This is ridiculous, Robin."

_That's an understatement. _Robin rubbed his face and looked away from his friend, before he wrote more. _I just want to strangle Jinx before she has any idea what she's done to me._ Robin's pen was perched precariously above the paper, and Cyborg had a feeling that he and Robin had just come to the same conclusion. The pen slammed onto the paper with such force, Cyborg was surprised he didn't break the coffee table. _SHE TURNED ME BECAUSE SHE WANTED A MATE_.

"I wouldn't put it past the pink-headed bimbo." Cyborg had the sudden desire for a very stiff drink at this point. What in the world had they gotten themselves into? Robin had jumped to his feet and began pacing the room, looking like he was on the brink of insanity. Cyborg wasn't even sure if there was anything he could say that would bring him back down, too much had happened to him over the past few hours. Robin reached out and threw a vase against the wall, before letting out a guttural noise, somewhere between a cry of anguish and a moan.

Raven's door flew open and she looked between Robin and Cyborg. "What happened?"

Robin looked up at her, his face sallow and pale from shock. He blinked a few times before he pointed to the vase. "Fell."

"Uh-huh. Well, don't break anything else, or I'll be more than irritated." She retreated to her room again, hiding behind her books. Robin stared at her door for a few minutes before he moved. He looked slow and sluggish, but Cyborg saw the rage, the anger, the desolation hiding behind the now onyx eyes. Robin looked torn and beaten, and Cyborg had never seen him in such a way before. His fearless leader had always been strong, and brave, sometimes to the point of being stupid, but to see him falling apart at the seams made Cyborg realize that everyone had a breaking point, and Robin had reached his.

"Robin, maybe you better rest… just until we get this figured out, okay?" Cyborg placed a hand on his shoulder, and Robin stared up at him, his eyes empty. He looked so listless. Cyborg felt his heart tug at the sight, and he sighed again. "I promise, I'll make sure Raven takes care of you, okay?" Nod. "Alright. Well, go rest… I've got to speak with the demon herself."

Robin didn't try to do anything else, he just retreated to his room, and locked the door. It felt like Robin had just retreated into himself instead, hiding from what the truth was. Hiding from everything that happened to him. Cyborg shook his head. What in the world had he gotten himself into? Vampires? Mating? Clans? This was one big mess, and he knew he was going to be eternally regretting the fact that he had stuck his nose into it. He knocked on Raven's door, and there was a rustle from inside.

"Hey, Rae, can a talk with you a moment?"

"Come in."

He poked his head into her room, looking around. The books had been opened and laid out on her bed in a semi-circle around her. She was flipping through a rather misused book, and one of the pages had fallen into her lap. There was no doubt she was angry and frustrated, and Cyborg couldn't blame her. After everything that she'd been through, he's have been frustrated too. "Hey, Rae."

"Hi, Cyborg. Is Robin out breaking anything else?" Raven turned the page without looking up. There was a cold severity to her that told Cyborg she was still upset about his comments.

"No, just being… Robin." He wondered if he should tell Raven the truth, if that would fix anything. "He's sorry for snapping at you, he's just…"

"Torn." Raven finished, her face blushing. She closed the book and looked up at him, a storm of emotions rushing behind her eyes. "I know. I heard you two speaking… about Jinx." She turned away quickly and coughed, trying to avoid the subject. "And me."

"Mm, then you know the whole situation?" Cyborg sat on the end of her bed. "About Jinx?"

"I guess." Raven opened another book and thumbed the pages. The scent of aged paper filled the room, and Cyborg was distinctly reminded of Raven's room back at the tower. She stopped near the middle of the book and stared at a passage. "This doesn't change anything between us, you know. It's a chemical reaction to vampiric hormones, according to my books vampires and demons have similar ancestry. He's just responding me, that's it." Her cold eyes looked up at him. "I'm not going to entertain any emotions of anything more than friendship."

Cyborg raised an eyebrow and let a frown appear. "I wasn't implying you should, I was just making a statement." He paused for a moment, before deciding decided to stick his nose farther into the mess. He was already neck deep, what was a few more inches? "You know… you and Robin… well, you have a lot in common. You've always had a special bond with him that none of the other Titans could touch. You're the only one whose ever known about his past."

"Pfft." Raven returned to the book. "Thanks for lying. I'm a sister to him, I know that better than you think. I know he likes pretty redheads with innocence abound; I know he'd prefer June Cleaver over Poison Ivy any day. I'm not stupid about what he wants, and I'm not it." She raised an eyebrow, but still didn't look up. "Further more, I don't see how it's any of your business?"

"It's not my business, I was just stating an observation." Cyborg rolled his eyes, of course she was going to be snarky with him. "But let me give you one more observation before you blow up: he contacted _you_ the first moment he discovered that something was wrong. He called out and reached for you. Not Starfire, not Beast Boy, not even me. He was looking for _you _he knows who and what you are, and he trusts it. Now, tell me what that means?"

"It means you're misinterpreting events." Raven sighed and looked up at his steeled expression. "I'm a demoness, Cyborg. A creature born in the depths of _hell_. At what point did you think I had any chance with a _human,_ let a lone Robin?"

"Funny, he isn't a human anymore is he?"

"Don't be such a douche." Raven tossed the book to the side, and another page came sliding out. She rubbed her forehead and sighed deeply. "I need to get out of here and meditate, all his raging emotions are making me ill."

"You need to look after him, Raven."

"I need to breathe before something blows up."

"You're powerless right now, I don't see what the fuss is about."

"You really are a douche." Raven tossed a pillow at him, but he caught it easily.

"Just stating a fact." He looked out at the skyline and sighed. "Another storm is coming through tonight. I'd watch him carefully. There's no telling what he might do in this state."

"I'll keep that in mind." She smiled up at him, but it looked weak and it never quite reached her eyes. "Thank you Cyborg, I really appreciate you coming here."

"I know." He smiled and started for the door. "Please be nice to Robin, Raven. He means well… he's just…"

"Torn. I _know_, Cyborg."

"Okay. I'll back off." The door closed lightly behind him and Raven sighed. This was more than she wanted to handle, more than she knew how to handle. Robin was a complete enigma to her, and this physical and emotional change in him made him even more enigmatic. Raven let her head fall into her hands.

"How can I do this?"

)O( )O( )O(

_And there we go, sorry it took so long, I just started a full-time job and it's crazy! Surprisingly, this chapter was influenced mostly by this band I've recently discovered called _Katatonia, _they're a fantastic band if you haven't heard of them. _  
_So, I hope you enjoyed this piece, and I'll hopefully get the next part out soon!!_

Xaph!


	5. Chapter 5

**Honeythief  
**_Chapter Five_

"Still, I hold my breath each time you go, out in the world that's beyond my control." – _Honeythief,_ Halou

)O(

Raven was convinced her dream couldn't get any stranger. She knew it had to be a dream, because she was wearing a dress. And not just any dress, oh no, Raven was wearing a frilly, pink dress with a full skirt and matching apron. Her plum-colored hair was pulled up into a fancy French twist, and she was humming the theme from "I Dream of Jeanie" as she took a pie out of the oven. White high heels clicked on the black-and-white tiled floor as she set it on the window sill to cool.

What kind of weird dream was this?

"Honey, I'm home."

Raven turned and smiled brightly as Robin sauntered through the kitchen door, looking very debonair in a well-tailored suit. She rushed up and greeted him with a peck on the cheek. "Oh, darling, it's so good to have you home! How was work?"

"Busy." Robin hung his coat and hat on the hooks next to the door. He took a long whiff of the smells in the kitchen and smiled at Raven. "Well, gosh, is that pie I smell?"

"Of course!" Raven grinned again and batted her eyelashes in pride. "It's strawberry, your favorite."

"You know me so well, Dear." He walked to the window sill to grab it, but Raven lightly smacked his hand. He pulled his hand away and stared at her.

"It's not done yet, Silly. We need time for it to cool or it won't set right."

"Well, that just stinks." Robin frowned, but reached out and kissed her cheek. "Alright, I'll wait…" He paused and looked around that kitchen, as if expecting someone to come in. "Say, where is little Timmy? And Sally? They're usually right next to your ankles when you cook pie."

"Don't you remember, Dear?" Raven's head cocked to one side in question, her face blank with surprise. "Kory and Garfield picked them up to play with Bobby and Cindy this weekend. They're going to go camping down by Eagle Lake."

There was a long pause as Robin's eyes darkened. He bent his head down so that his forehead touched Raven's. "Really? Is that so?" Raven had the strange sensation of being thrown out of her body, forced to watch the scene from across the room. She watched as Robin reached out and grabbed her waist, bringing their bodies closer. "So, for the whole weekend we're alone?"

"That's right dear." Raven blinked and smiled, her teeth suddenly shimmered like sharp fangs in the soft light overhead. "Is that going to be a problem? I thought you wanted some time alone?"

"It shouldn't be a problem at all, at least not that I'm aware of…" Robin's voice had grown husky and he took a step closer to Raven, forcing her back to the kitchen table. It made a strange scraping sound against the tile, but neither one seemed to notice. Robin's hand smoothed down her dress from hip to her knee, before disappearing underneath the skirt. "I think everything should be just fine. Do you see any problems with it?"

Raven's head tilted back and a soft whimper escaped her lips. "No."

"Good." Robin's other arm snaked back around her waist and picked her up, planting her squarely on the kitchen table with a heavy 'thud'. There was the strange clank of his buckle as he made busy work of undoing his pants and hitching up Raven's skirt. The lacy tops of her black stockings peeked out from under the hem, but nothing else. Robin leaned forward and placed his lips on Raven's ear. "I plan on making this weekend one you'll not soon forget."

Robin thrust forward as his fangs exploded into her neck.

Raven screamed a moan of pleasure…

And woke herself up. Thank the Goddess.

Silence surrounded her as Raven lay in bed, staring at the clock. It was nearly one in the morning, and she had a very good feeling that she wasn't going to bed any time soon. Or, more precisely, she didn't _want_ to go to bed any time soon. She wasn't sure what scared her more, seeing herself in a dress, or an erotic fantasy with Robin as her… _mate_? Isn't that what he called it? She rubbed her forehead and sat up, pushing the heavy covers off her.

"Raven?"

Robin's thick voice called to her through the door, and she felt her heart skip a small beat. She couldn't let him see her like this: ruffled and in a state of arousal. She'd never forget it, and he wouldn't let her, if she knew anything about him. She cleared her throat, trying to calm herself down. "Yes? What is it, Robin?"

"Alright?"

She sighed. Of course he would know, in fact, her scream had probably been loud enough to wake the whole building. "I'm fine. It was… a bad dream." Well, that was _one_ word for it. There was a darker part of Raven that wanted to call it a very _good_ dream. A fantastic dream that, if she had stayed asleep, would have had a fantastic ending. She needed to get her head out of the gutter, or she was going to be discovered very soon.

"In?"

"Sure. The door is unlocked." Raven pulled the covers closer to herself, hoping to hide from his eyes. She had a good feeling that he could see in the dark quite clearly, which meant he could see all kinds of things she didn't want him to. Including the frazzled look she had in her eyes.

She saw the outline of him against the gray light from the living room. He stood there for a long moment before he took a step into her room. Raven watched as he picked his way around her books, and took a seat on her desk chair. She sighed and raised an eyebrow in his direction. "So… what brings you to my room at one o'clock in the morning?"

"Yelling." Raven couldn't read his expression through the darkness, but she had a good feeling he was frowning at her. He frowned at her a lot lately, in spite of the fact she was working so hard to protect him. That was just Robin's personality though. She choked down another sigh as his pause continued. "Worried."

"Well, I appreciate the fact you were concerned. But, I'm fine." She smoothed down the covers across her legs, looking for something normal to keep her hands busy. Her heart was still skipping beats, and her eyes wandered across his shapely silhouette. Regardless of _what_ he was, he was still… fantastic looking. She turned away as he continued.

"No." He shook his head. "Yelling."

"It was just a dream."

"Scared."

This made Rave pause, and she titled her head to the side in question. "Who did I scare? You or me?"

"Me." He stood up from the chair and sat on the edge of her bed. "Attack."

"You thought I was being attacked? From the fiftieth story of a building?" Raven couldn't keep the chuckle off her lips. The idea was ridiculous, of course. He would have known the minute someone came in the front door, regardless of whether or not he was a vampire. "Thank you for considering my safety."

Robin frowned, and Raven instantly felt the room change. She had insulted him, and now he was going to retort any way he could. There was another pause and he leaned closer to her, his nose almost touching her cheek. She felt his eyes search hers, even though she couldn't find gaze. "Scent."

"What… scent?" Raven's voice seemed to disappear into her throat as soon as he got close to her. Unfortunately, Cyborg's words from earlier kept playing in her mind: _You two have a lot in common_. Like what? Like the fact that they both wanted to pounce one another this very minute? She tried to push him away, but Robin took another deep breath. Even in the dim light filtering in from the living room, Raven could see the dark shade of red glinting in his eyes.

He knew.

"Arousal." Yes, he knew the truth. He could smell it on her, and he was upset that she wasn't telling him the truth. Raven's heart sank into her stomach and she turned away, trying to hide her expression, as he continued. "Dream?"

Raven tried to shove at him again, but he didn't move. Instead he pulled both of his legs onto the bed and inched closer, as if he were going to show her what arousal _really _was. For a brief moment Raven wondered: was it really _all_ that bad? But, she knew the truth. She couldn't feel like that; she was Robin's protector. She turned her head away and frowned. "Back off, Robin. I am not telling you my personal dreams, oh great and fearless leader, so go somewhere else and poke fun."

"No." He shook his head, severity lining his face. "Curious."

Raven frowned and scooted a few inches away from him, desperate for any kind of distance between them. "I'm serious, Robin, this isn't funny. I-" She didn't have a chance to finish, there was a loud bang from the hallway. She stared at her door, and saw the flowers in the vase tremble from the vibration. What was _that_?

She and Robin stared at each other for a minute before he jumped up from the edge of the bed and looked over at the open bedroom door. There was another loud bang, but this time it was closer to their own suite door. He glanced back at Raven before he headed out into the living room. Raven frowned, wondering if they should be concerned or if it was just a loud noise. She followed him out into the living room, catching the vase before it shook to the floor. They couldn't afford to break another piece of pottery.

BANG.

The noise came again, only this time it came from their door. Robin and Raven stared at the door, before Robin reached forward and unlocked the deadbolt. There was a pause as they both watched, wondering what could have been on the other side.

BOOM

The door swung open and three beautiful, scantily-clad girls stood on the other side. Raven let her eyes adjust to the light, and she watched as they sauntered into the living room and plopped down on the sofa. They smiled coquettishly at him and batted their eyes. The red-head was the first to speak. "I knew I smelled an unclaimed vampire."

"Unclaimed?" Raven stared at the girls, and then at Robin, who looked like he was two steps away from pouncing on one of them. She pushed at his arm, trying to get him to sober up. It didn't help. "Excuse me, what gives you the right to just barge in on our hotel suite? Does he know you?"

"Awe, but he's super young…" This time, the blonde spoke, and chose to ignore Raven. She took a deep breath, savored it, and let it out slowly. A frown touched her plump, pink lips and she whined. "Only a few days old. That's old enough, right Beatrice?"

"Well, we'd be pushing propriety…" The red-head chewed her lower lips and thought for a minute. "But desperate times call for desperate measures. There hasn't been a single male vampire around here since… well gosh, I can't remember when."

"Since the 1960's, and Madame Carol snatched him up in an instant." The brunette pouted, obviously hurt by this "Madame Carol" person. She crossed her legs and her skirt shifted higher up her thigh. Raven heard a low rumble from Robin's throat and she briefly considered punching him a little lower than his chest.

"I'm sorry, _who_ are you?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're obviously not friends of mine and I'm not sure if I like having you around _my_… friend." Raven couldn't find it in her to call him something else.

"I'm Beatrice." The red-head spoke, a slow grin peeling across her lips. She could obviously pick-up on Raven's emotions, and it irritated the demon princess all the more because of it. Beatrice continued. "The brunette over there is Christine, and our blond friend is Ester. We're here investigating reports of an unclaimed male. I see the rumors were true." Her condescending gaze ran up and down Raven's body. "As is the rumor of him traveling with a half-demon."

"That's _Princess_ Half-Demon to you." Raven blew out irritated breath and glared at them. How dare they insult her! Stupid vampires. "And if you don't mind, I would appreciate you vacating our suite." She walked to the door and opened it, gesturing to the empty hall as she did so. "The door is right here, please be sure it doesn't hit you when you leave."

"I'm sorry." Christine frowned and blinked up at Raven. "But, we don't plan on leaving until one of us has claimed him for our own."

Emotions of lust seeped into the room and made Raven nearly sick with the power of it. Robin was in danger, and she needed to protect him. Raven then did the only thing she could think of at the moment. "I'm sorry, you're too late ladies. My friend has already consented to be my mate."

She jumped forward and stood in front of Robin, trying to shield him from their eyes. Even though her powers hadn't returned yet, she could still feel all the emotions radiating off of him. The need to mate, the desire to create a clan, the want to engage in… well, Raven wasn't quite sure _what _to call it. It sure wasn't as sweet and innocent as "making love". She growled and held up her hand, needing to put and end to this right away. They we're not going to take him from her. "Sorry, girls. He's mine."

"Pfft." Ester rolled her eyes. "You're just a silly half-demon, what would he want with you when he could have us?" She gave a little half-shrug and one of the straps of her tank-top slid off her shoulder, exposing creamy pale skin. Robin whimpered from behind Raven and she elbowed him in the chest. He was not helping.

"Back off, girls." Raven used what little power she had felt and made her eyes glow red, hopefully getting her point across. "He's mine."

"He's unclaimed." Beatrice said, frowning. "That means he's anyone's right now."

"Wrong." Raven knew that voice, and her heart turned to lead at the sound of it. She felt rage cloud her vision, and she barely had energy to turn around and face the voice. "He's _mine_. I turned him, I have first claim to him. So, _back off_, Beatrice." Jinx pushed the door open and stepped into the living room. She glanced around at the occupants until her eyes finally landed on Raven. "Ah… so he called the silly half-demon to help him? Not the super-strong alien? How unusual."

Raven growled and took a step forward, suddenly feeling very defensive. This stupid whore had nearly killed her friend, and turned him into a vampire because of it. She couldn't think of one good reason to keep her alive and the shreds of her father's rage were starting to bubble to the surface. "Jinx, how nice of you to join us. I was just thinking how I am going to rip those stupid pig-tails from your head and watch you bleed to death because of it."

"Jinx? You _turned_ him!" Ester jumped up and stared at the pink-headed bimbo with shock. "You know that's against the rules! We're not supposed to turn males! It's dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Raven looked from Jinx to Robin and back to Ester. This had gotten a whole lot more complicated. "Ester, why is it dangerous?"

"Humans are… _unstable_." Beatrice spoke softly, standing up. Her hands were trembling, and her face was pale. Raven got the distinct impression she had just opened a can of worms. "Their emotions make them unstable, sometimes a male can survive a female vampire's turning, but it's unlikely. And even after that… their make-up is weird. Vampires are stable: no sun, no food, near immortality, and special gifts. Turned-vampires are… _different_. Some can go into the sun, some can eat food, some even get special powers." Her lips turned down in a frown. "It's a crap-shoot of what you'll get."

"Emotions clash though." Christine whispered, her glare directed at Jinx. "Vampires are loyal, passionate creatures… humans can be fickle, confused, disconnected from their emotions. They can tell you one thing, but mean another. Some go crazy with power, others turn into creatures of lust, and some simply feel nothing. Turning is dangerous, it destroys humans and taints vampiric lines."

"We're leaving, Jinx." Ester said, heading for the door. "You clean up this mess you made." The other two followed her, shaking their heads. The silence that filled the room was eerie and both Jinx and Raven knew that each other was on the brink of a homicidal rampage. Raven, however, was the first to react.

"_What did you do_?" Raven reached out and slapped Jinx across the face. "You're a stupid, selfish, silly girl and I swear I am going to hurt you in ways you never thought imaginable."

She frowned and glared at her, touching the red mark Raven had made. "I was desperate! You try living for a hundred years and see how you feel about being lover-less! I couldn't find a mate no matter how hard I tried!" Jinx pushed at Raven, but she reached out and slapped her again.

"Well, the other vampire girls seemed to be getting along just fine, you seem to be the only one having issues with being alone." Raven slapped her again, red lining her vision. "You're stupid and I'm going to kill you!"

"Well, you better do it after we find your precious Robin, because he started after Beatrice's clan."

)O( )O( )O(

_DUN DUN DUN_

_So, there is Chapter Five. I hope everyone is enjoying it and where it's doing. Don't forget to leave a review! Also, if you're into Speedy/Raven I have a new one called "Static". It really doesn't have a plot, but it's kinda hot. _


	6. Chapter 6

**HONEYTHIEF  
**_Chapter Six_

"Even with all my flaws, and my bad examples, you surprise me with just how perfect you are" – _Honeythief,_ Halou

)O(

Robin knew he shouldn't have raced after the three girls. He knew that he was playing with fire by following them into the storm. But he needed to. They had answers he wanted. _Turning_? _Mates_? _Unclaimed male_? Those were terms they tossed around casually, as if they used them often. Robin knew that they had to be significant to him, but he didn't know _what_ they were, or even why they were so important.

He splashed through a deep puddle, but it didn't matter, the rain was already coming down in buckets. What was a little more water? Through the downpour, he saw the unusual girls up ahead, huddled under a small overhang and talking quietly to one another. Lights from a neon sign cast strange shadows over their bodies, making them look more mystical than they already were.

Robin couldn't lie to himself; the scent of them drove him close to insanity. They smelled sweet, like fresh mint and honey. Even in the thick, city rain they still smelled of the clean but heady scent that made him want to bed one as soon as there was a chance. It felt more primal than logic, it felt like instinct. It felt like the only option he could chose when he was near them. His vampire side wanted to grab one and claim it as his, but he never did. It was as if there was an angel on his side, or more likely, a demon.

Having Raven close to him and supporting him, even though he wasn't always the best patient, had leashed the strongest desires. It allowed him to think with some reason, even if it was only a little. She leashed everything in him and kept his head clear, and for that he was grateful. But having her around felt a bit like he was playing poker for two people, and he wasn't sure who's hand was which. When he looked at his vampire cards, being with Raven made sense, it was perfectly logical. But when he picked up his human hand… well… the two hands were slowly becoming one and he wasn't sure what cards belonged where any more.

"Robin!" He heard the familiar sound of melancholy wind-chimes and Robin felt his fingers twitch. Should he continue on to get his answers, or should he face the girl who was fighting so hard to keep him safe? She was behind him, so close he could feel her worry, her sadness, her anger, and her jealousy? That caused more questions than anything else. What reason would he have given to make her jealous? She called to him again, her voice sounding desperate. "Robin!"

He felt his feet stop, but he didn't turn. He wasn't sure if he had the bravery to face her just yet. Not after his insanely stupid idea to chase three vampires, all of which he didn't trust… oh, and there was the whole mating fiasco he had to think about too. He looked up in enough time to see the three girls stop talking. They looked at each other before turning their gazes toward him. They didn't say anything. It was as if they were waiting for someone else to make the next move.

"Robin!" Raven closed the space between them and he felt her cold, wet fingers closed around his arm. He was going to have to look at her eventually, even if it was his greatest fear. He's made such a stupid mistake. Sighing, he turned and faced his pale demoness. Plum tendrils of hair clung to her face and her cheeks were flushed with the chase. For a moment he felt his heart turn over at the sight. She shook his arm a little, bringing him back into the present. "Robin, where on earth are you going?"

He pointed to the girls and Raven frowned, her eyes narrowing in frustration. "You were following them… because…?" She let the question hang in the air between them, waiting for his answer. She was angry, and Robin couldn't blame her. He hadn't really given her any reason to trust him or his decisions.

"Answers." Robin managed to bark out his garbled response, and she let go of a breath she'd been holding, looking relieved.

"Answers. Good. Just answers." She pushed her wet bangs out of her face, then her hands moved to her hips, and she gave him her best cold stare. "Well, next time you decide to go on your quest for obscure knowledge, will you at least _tell _me before hand, that way I'm not stuck with a pink-headed brat to deal with?"

That's right. Robin, in his brash decision, did not stop to think who would have to pick up the pieces left by him and Jinx. He cringed as he thought about what might have ensued after he left. Knowing the way those two girls fought with each other, he wouldn't have been surprised if the whole building had come tumbling down. Although, if Raven was here… where was Jinx? He stared at her for a moment before managing to grumble. "Where?"

Raven grinned like a cat who was finally going to eat the mouse it caught. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about her for a while. It'll take her a few days to figure out how to get out of that _particular_ dimension." Robin wasn't sure if he wanted to ask any more questions. Raven had her own flair when it came to dealing with anyone who thought it wise to cross her.

"Robin, was it?" Robin started in surprise, and turned to stare the three vampires across the street. Beatrice nodded and motioned for the two to come underneath the overhang. "Come here and get out of the rain, you'll catch a cold."

Robin wondered if it was possible for him to catch a cold, or if Beatrice was just looking for an excuse to bring them over. Raven gave a slight wave and started over to them, Robin in tow. For a moment he found it kind of amusing how he had been the one seeking answers, but she was the one taking initiative. That was Raven, always first to help him out… Robin stole a glance at her, and felt his heart turn over for a second time.

He didn't deserve a friend like her. He barely deserved life after what he put her thorough. His stomach turned to lead as he thought about his selfish actions. He had tried to push them to the back of his mind, claiming that it was out of necessity he had attacked her, that if she hadn't come to his rescue he would have sought out an innocent human. But then he thought harder, why wasn't Raven innocent? She didn't ask to become his food source, nor did she deserve it.

"Thank you." Raven's calm voice brought him out of his thoughts. He watched as she ran her fingers through her drenched hair, and wrung the strands dry. For the first time since he left, Robin realized Raven was barefoot and still dressed in her pajamas. She must have been in too much of a hurry to bother. Robin felt the cold tendrils of guilt slip through him. She took care of him far too much. If it hadn't been for him, Raven would still be warm and cozy in the tower, not chasing him through a monsoon.

"I appreciate the opportunity to talk with you. If you don't mind, we have some questions." Raven spoke softly, her eyes glancing around for any eavesdroppers. Robin, highly doubted there would be any one out in this weather right now, but he couldn't blame her for being cautious. Raven turned back to the girls. "Do you have a minute or two?"

"Of course." Christine nodded, her lips turned down in a slight frown. "We've been talking. About your friend Robin."

Raven rolled her eyes, and Robin felt compelled to reach out and stop her from saying too much. She was edgy right now, and the slightest insult could turn her words into weapons. That was an aftermath he didn't have the energy to deal with, especially now. She took a deep breath and continued. "We were wondering if you could help… _explain _what exactly is going on with my friend, and if there's a way to reverse it."

Beatrice chewed on her lower lip, looking as if she were deep in thought. "Perhaps…" Pause. "Why don't you come inside our shop, and we'll see what we can do for you. I understand this isn't the easiest thing to deal with." Beatrice opened the door behind her and motioned the two of them inside. Robin looked around in mild surprise. It was a posh, upscale coffee shop decorated in fine fabrics and expensive paintings. Ester locked the door while Beatrice went behind the counter to make coffee and Christine made herself comfortable at a table.

"As a rule female vampires are not allowed to turn human males, and vice versa. So, you can see why there are so few of us. No self respecting vampire would change a human, knowing the pain and anger and frustration they've had to deal with… Jinx was… another story." Christine started without preamble, forcing Robin's attention on her. Raven sat down at the table and Robin sat next to her, wondering if he had the strength to know the truth. There was so much mystery shrouding what he was, that he didn't even know if there was any real truth left, or even what that truth might be.

"Jinx was always a little bit violent and unusual. If any one were to break code, it would have been her. Rather than form companionship with women of her own kind, she chose to live with villains, and act out her feelings. It was very foolish of her."

"Then you knew Jinx before? Has she always been so…" Raven struggled for the right words, Robin couldn't blame her. It was hard to pick an adjective that would sum-up everything Jinx was or wasn't.

"Ridiculous and Stupid?" Ester blew out a puff of irritated air and her eyes rolled to the ceiling. "Unfortunately, yes. She's always had the idea that the rules don't apply to her and she is exempt from any of the codes that we've worked so hard to keep in place."

"Why were the codes put into place?" Raven looked more interested in the story than in helping Robin out, but he couldn't blame her. This was her element, and learning about new, dark things must have brought some kind of odd joy in her life. It was worth it, even if it was at his expense.

"The codes were put into place because of things that were discovered. Odd things about changing humans and how specific it has to be." Christine paused and frowned, but continued with determination. "When a female vampire turns a male human it does something strange to your genetic make up. There's something about it that makes you… unstable. It makes you different than normal vampires."

"We can tolerate only a little sun, and it has to be very early in the morning or very late in the evening. Food, we have to stay away from. There are a few things we can bear, like coffees and teas, but other than that our bodies reject all other forms of sustenance except for blood." Ester placed a cup of tea in front of Raven and a cup of coffee in front of Robin. She bent down and stared him in the eyes, making Robin feel as if she were scrutinizing his every feature. "Can you go out into the sunlight? Eat food? What about strength?"

Robin nodded, but didn't speak. It still hurt too much to communicate. A car drove by and the headlights shone brightly threw an opening in the curtains. The lights hit a small portion of his neck, showing the damage Jinx had done. Ester made a noise of surprise and Christine gasped, her hands going to her own throat. She blinked a few times before speaking. "Is _that_ how she changed you? By nearly killing you? No wonder you speak so little!"

Raven put down her cup of tea, looking as if she might have found the cure for him. She turned around and faced Beatrice, who was walking towards them with determination. Hopefully that was a good sign. "He can communicate with short bursts of words, but nothing more… is there anyway to fix it?"

"Let's see." Beatrice's eyes narrowed as she placed two fingers underneath his chin. Robin squirmed. Being this close to her was making him uncomfortably hot. Unconsciously, his hand reached out and grasped Raven's under the table. He needed support if he was going to be this close to sweet honey. All he had to do was flick his wrist and he would have brought her down.

What was he thinking! He had to stop those thoughts now, or something irreversible would have happened. His fingers weaved in between Raven's, and she held his hand tightly as Beatrice pushed up on his jaw. "Tilt your chin up and let me have a look."

Robin looked up at the ceiling, feeling exposed under the four sets of eyes. He knew his throat was a ragged mess of scars and lines, and didn't look as if it were in workable condition, let alone in good condition. Robin coughed, which sounded like an odd grunting noise, as Beatrice placed her fingers on the scars. "Good Goddess! That's just plain brutal… I think there may be something I can do." Beatrice placed her warm palm over his Adam's apple, and whispered a few words under her breath.

Robin sat there for a few seconds before his throat grew warm, all the muscles in his neck seem to loosen and relax. As strange as it sounded, his vocal chords felt like they were healing, moving and shifting back to where and what they used to be. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raven watching him intently. He had to hold in a smirk, of course this would be fascinating to her, how often did she get to see vampire magic? Robin watched the clock as the minutes passed. The three minutes felt like an eternity before Beatrice removed her hand.

"There… how does that feel?"

"Better." Robin pressed his fingers to his neck, he could still feel the raw, red scars on his neck, but at least he could speak. He opened and closed his mouth several times, feeling everything move properly. He didn't feel the strain from his throat, and his vocal chords moved the way they were supposed to. His voiced sounded deeper, a bit harsher than it had before, but he could speak without pain and that was all that mattered at this point. He smiled up at Beatrice. "I can't thank you enough. It gets pretty difficult trying to explain yourself through paper and pen."

"Good thing I can read your face like an open book." Robin didn't even have to turn at look at Raven to know she was smirking. Well, at least she was feeling better enough to joke around with him. That made him feel better. Robin looked down and noticed his fingers were still intertwined with hers and he snatched his hand away, feeling color rush to his face. Raven frowned, but didn't say anything.

Beatrice looked at Raven with a stern eyes, but had the politeness to not draw attention to the action. For that, Robin was grateful. Raven had trouble admitting anything that wasn't already common knowledge, including any relationship, platonic or otherwise. Beatrice turned back to Robin and cleared her throat. "Is there anything else you'd like to ask us? Now that you can speak properly?"

Robin thought for a moment, trying to ignore the beast inside him whispering tales of sin to him. Even Raven could tell that having Beatrice touch him sent him near the brink of insanity. He sighed and shook his head, trying to still his body. He couldn't let this happen. "No. Not now… I think I just need to go back to the hotel and… think. Or Rest… or both."

Raven cocked her head to the side, as if she were going to ask a question, but decided against it. Robin had the sudden feeling like he needed to get away from her too. That if he stayed this close to her, something terrible was bound to happen, and he would carry the crime forever. She breathed in slowly before speaking with the three girls. "So… what happens now… exactly?"

"It's hard to tell." Ester swirled the contents of her teacup, frowning. She looked up, her dark eyes boring into Robin. "What can you do exactly?"

Robin started and blinked a few minutes before he registered the question. "In terms of what?"

"In terms of sunlight?" Christine watched his expression with such severity, Robin was concerned for her. "Food?"

"Both… I tolerate both. "

There was a long pause, and in the silence Robin could hear more questions than answers. He was beginning to find he was an enigma even to the vampires, which concerned him. If there was nothing like him before now… how was he going to fix his problem? And furthermore, was there an actual solution? Christine spoke again. "And blood? How often do you need to drink?"

"I don't know… I…" Robin searched for the right word, not wanting to inadvertently offend anyone. Giving up, he looked over at Raven for help.

"He fed last night." Raven jumped in, saving him. "Are you hungry again?"

The question wasn't meant in any other way than practical. She needed to know in case he needed to feed… it wasn't an invitation. Even though part of him wished for the invite. "Not… yet." Robin felt color flush to his face and he looked away, clearing his throat. His head needed to get out of the gutter before he said something stupid. "I have the feeling I will be soon."

"Hm… so you can tolerate sun and food?" There was a long pause and the question Robin dreaded hung unspoken in the air. "And your more carnal desires? Are they vampire or otherwise?" Beatrice crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back into her chair, knowing she had hit a soft spot. Did she really have to ask that question? And in front of Raven, no less?

"Er… both… I guess." Robin turned his red face away from Raven, trying to ignore the sound of her heart. It picked up speed and thrummed against her ribs. Robin knew this was all his fault. He wanted to protect her against every terrible thing that was with her now, including him. For the first time in a while, he wondered if he was her enemy more than her friend. And, for the first time that night, he didn't want an answer. Not to that question.

"I… have to contact Cy, Robin…He's been worried about you… I'll…" Her heart thumped harder against her ribs as her voice broke. She cleared her throat and looked away. Robin got the distinct feeling that she was going too run as soon as she got the chance, he wouldn't put it past her, but he couldn't let her go. She was the glue that held all his mismatched pieces together and he needed her. Robin wanted to reach out and comfort her, but he knew that would probably upset her more, so he just let her go to the door. "I'll be back in a second."

Robin sighed, and let his head hang. What had he done?

"Mm…" Christine watched Raven leave and then looked back at Robin, blatantly judging him. He had the strongest desire to smack that condescending look off her face, but he couldn't. These girls had done too much for him. "Does she ground you?"

"Ground me?" Rabin raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Keep you… _in line_. From choosing a mate of your own species…" Ester chewed on her lower lip, looking like she was thinking carefully about what she was going to say next. Her dark eyes turned to him. "We can feel the change around you, it's calmer, as if you make more precise decisions. You trust her with more than just your keeping, Robin. If you know what I mean."

Robin flushed and stood up, needing to leave. He couldn't face those emotions, not just yet. Raven deserved better than whatever he had become; she deserved someone stronger. "I appreciate the help you've given us, but I think it's time we leave."

Beatrice nodded. "I understand. If you have any questions, we are here in the evening."

Robin forced a polite smile and started for the door. "We'll be sure to return when we need your help, thank you." Robin turned away and walked outside. Raven stood under the overhang, yelling into her communicator.

"What do you mean she got out!? That little pink-headed dork with cotton candy with brains got out?" Raven stomped her foot, splashing dirty water over the sidewalk. "Where is she now?"

"I don't know, Rae." Cyborg's face fell and he sighed. "She split the moment she realized you weren't here. She's looking for Robin."

"Figures." Raven rolled her eyes, and rubbed her forehead, looking like she was fighting a headache. Robin reached out and touched her shoulder, she tried to smile at him but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Thanks Robin… so, what should we do now? We can't go back to the tower, and we can't go back to the hotel… I guess that only leaves one option then." Raven's shoulders fell, and she had an expression of complete disappointment.

Robin tried to smile to comfort her, but it didn't work and she glared at him more. Robin sighed and shook his heal. "Well, at least Bruce will be happy to finally meet you."

)O( )O( )O(

_Sorry it took so long to get out, I hope everyone enjoyed it! And the next chapter should be out soon. If you have any questions, comments, concerns… drop me a line! And as always, leave a review, I love to hear your thoughts!_

_Xaph._


	7. Chapter 7

**Honeythief  
**_Chapter Seven_

"When I'm all in a spin full of cynicism, you remind me of just how perfect you are." – _Honeythief_, Halou

)O(

Raven fidgeted with her communicator as Cyborg drove them deeper into the woods. She looked into the front seat to see what time it was. Ugh. They'd been in the car for almost four hours. This wasn't exactly her idea of a vacation, babysitting her leader while staying at a multi-_billionaire_'s mansion. Raven had argued for the entire morning on why she didn't need to go, but Robin had made a valid argument:

She promised to help him.

And Raven was regretting that promise right now. True, she _had_ promised to help him, promised to do everything in her power to reverse what had been done to him, promised to protect him… but did all of that really have to include Bruce as well? She was already scared of the crazy bat, was it necessary to perpetuate that fear?

"You're awfully quiet back there, Rae. Is everything all right?" Cyborg turned down an inconspicuous path, following Robin's directions. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"She's just sour because I'm making her come with me." Robin crossed his arms over his chest and turned away. Raven could tell he was more than upset with her, she'd put up one hell of a fight to keep from coming here, and it had probably bruised his ego. But what did he expect from her? Just to smile and nod and go along with everything he wanted? She wasn't the girl in her dream.

Raven flushed brightly and she turned her face toward the window, hoping they didn't notice. The dream. Good Goddess. She had tried so hard to push the dream to the back of her memory, keeping it out of the forefront of her thoughts. It was a memory she wanted to deny at every turn. Was _that_ what she expected a life with Robin to be like? Was that what Robin expected out of a woman? A picture out of a "father-knows-best" sit-com? She let her head fall against the window, grateful for the cool glass against her cheek.

The big question was: Did part of her yearn to be what Robin wanted? To be… Starfire?

Raven felt her stomach twist at the thought. She didn't want to be anyone but who she was, but the weed started to take root in her thoughts. Robin wanted June Cleaver, all innocence and fresh-baked pies. Raven knew she was anything but the sweet homemaker, and that didn't bother her. What really confused her was the fact that she cared about what Robin wanted. She shouldn't have had a teaspoon of concern for what Robin wanted in a relationship. He said that he could "settle" for her as a mate, and that was it. He was reacting to her and nothing more. It shouldn't have bothered her as much as it did.

But it did bother her. And she hated herself for it.

"We'll be there in a half hour." Robin's deep voice brought her into the present, and she watched him talk into a cell phone she never noticed. Since when did he carry a cell? "We've just turned down the eastern drive." There was a pause and Raven could hear snippets of words from the earpiece before Robin responded. "You need us for what?... Bruce, I'm not exactly in the best shape for espionage among a room full of… _people_." Robin groaned. "You could have told me that before we left… I guess it's too late now. We'll discuss this when we get there." Robin snapped the phone shut. "Damnit."

Raven had a good feeling this was exactly what she _didn't_ want to happen. She let her head fall into her hands. What medieval torture had Bruce concocted for them? "What now?"

"Bruce needs our help with something." Robin rolled his window down and groaned, as if the trees cared. Raven had half a mind to give him a good shove, just to see him flying out the window and bouncing down the shady path. It would have made her feel better. "I knew he was going to do this to us."

"I told you we should have gone back to the tower." She pressed her face close to his and let loose a low growl. He rolled his eyes and turned to face her, but Raven wasn't impressed. "At least at the tower we wouldn't have to be heroes for hire."

"And face Star and BB? No thank you. I'd rather be heroes for hire." He gave Raven's shoulder a push and she fell back into her seat. She glared at him, but kept her mouth shut. "Well, at least here we're both protected from the pink-haired brat. That's something to think about."

"Pft. I'd rather deal with her than become one of Bruce's lackeys." She tossed her communicator at the back of his head, but he ducked before it made contact. Stupid boy.

"Well, I'm used to it." He turned around and tossed the communicator back onto her lap. "So you should get used to it too. Besides, it won't be for long. Just until we can get… _this_ under control." He motioned his hand toward his chest and sighed. "We can work on reversing it later, but right now I don't trust myself around… _humans." _He sighed, as if the word brought him pain. Raven wouldn't be surprised if it did, just a few days ago he was human too, and now he was on the outside looking in. "Just suck it up."

There went her sympathy, right into the trash with that comment. Raven crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "You know, I think I liked you better when you were silent."

Cyborg, who had been unusually quiet through their bickering, chuckled, earning a death glare from Robin. He held up one hand to calm his flaring temper. "She's right, Robin. You're a little easier to deal with when you're not so… vocal."

"E tu Brutus?" Robin huffed out a breath of indignant air and turned away. "Fine you two can just gang up on me and I'll just sit here and take it."

"Ha!" Raven snorted. "That's a good joke, Robin. Please tell another one."

Robin didn't respond and Raven settled back into her seat for a half hour of precious silence. At least she got him to shut up for a few minutes. The truth was that Raven really wasn't all that angry at him, she was just mad that things had taken a turn down an unknown path. Jump City was predictable, she knew patterns of traffic, she knew times and places and the quantity of people in them. Maneuvering Robin around Jump City would have been a cinch, getting him rehabilitated would have been a cinch. Being at Bruce's would… well, Raven didn't know what it would do. Wayne Manor was and incredibly secluded location, and very well protected. There were lots of woods for Robin to explore his new senses. But… being away from Jump City made her nervous.

Raven let her head fall against the head rest. Logically, she knew he was going to be taken care of, that Robin would thrive here, and that any mishaps that happened would be resolved by the hands of her teammates. But with the Titans being short two members, there was no telling what would happen. She felt guilty for not having more faith in her team, but _really_? It BB and Star for heaven's sake. Cyborg she trusted, it was the two wing-nuts she didn't.

"Hey, Rae. Look at the house." Cyborg pointed to the dark building in the distance, and Raven realized that Cyborg used the term "house" very loosely. The structure was huge! It looked like it had a million gleaming windows, and the gardens stretched on forever. If she squinted hard enough, she could see a massive figure dressed in nothing more than dark jeans and a black tee-shirt waiting by the door.

"There's Bruce." Robin said, pointing to the bulk of a man by the door. "He came out just to meet you, Raven."

"I'm flattered." Raven kept her tone deadpan, but felt her heart slam again her ribs. What in the world was she getting herself into? That man looked like he could break her wrist with a flick of his pinky! She rubbed her forehead and turned away from the window.

It wasn't long before the car came to a halt in front of the stone steps, and Raven was forced to look up. Bruce was approaching the car with a mixture of relief and frustration sewn onto his joyless lips. He looked like he hadn't smiled since he was in kindergarten. Oh, Good. Just what Raven needed, _another _emotional cripple. Because she wasn't crazy enough, let's add a birdbrain _and _a batbrain to the mix.

Robin was out of the car before Raven could get one syllable of sarcasm out. She sighed and looked at Cyborg. He just laughed and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Don't look like you're being lead to the slaughter house, Rae. It's just Bruce. Despite his… _unforgiving_ looks, he's really quite nice. Just get out of the car and meet him."

Oh, that's right, Raven forgot that massive grizzly bears were just teddies in disguise. She rolled her eyes and followed after the two boys. Robin was already in deep discussion with his benefactor, and Cyborg was starting to join. Raven stayed back, just out of earshot, and took a long look at the property. The gardens stretched the length of the front yard and were perfectly groomed with annuals in every color of the rainbow. The house loomed over her like some king of stone coffin, waiting for her to lose her mind.

"Impressive, don't you think?"

Raven jumped and turned around, standing behind her was a weathered old man who's eyes looked just as strong as Bruce's. What he had gone through, Raven could only guess. She forced a weak smile. "It's beautiful… a little too big for my tastes, but lovely nonetheless."

"It has… other purposes, as I'm sure you are aware of." He smiled and walked a few paces in front of her, surveying the grounds for a moment. "Madam Rachel, was it?"

The corner of Raven's lips turned down in a frown. "Raven, if you please. Just Raven." She paused and stepped up beside him. "You must be Alfred, right?"

"You would be correct in assuming so." There was a pause between them, and in the distance Raven could hear the three men behind her prattling on like a bunch of teenagers. Just like the boys. Alfred started around the perimeter of the garden, and Raven felt compelled to follow. There was something comforting about him, and she didn't want to leave that. "It's been a while since Master Grayson has been home. He's grown quite a bit in the few years he's been with the Titans. How long has it been now?"

"Nearly five years." Raven looked down into the pond, watching a pair of swans swim lazily through the rushes. She took a long, deep breath enjoying the scent of flowers and freshly cut grass. A part of her didn't want to admit it, but she could get used to this kind of luxury. Silence, foliage, a giant house… nice, _little_ things like that.

"Has it been that long already?" Alfred started to meander back to the house, and Raven tagged along. "It feels like just yesterday he was leaving our care to go gallivanting through the streets of Jump City… and now… well, I suppose this crisis is something you'll have to explain to us."

Raven sighed and looked out at the swans again. "It's… _complicated, _and it may take some while before we can go home."

"Mm." There was a long, comfortable pause between them, before Alfred decided to ask the question Raven had been dreading to hear. "And how does Miss Starfire feel about the two of you being away for so long?"

Raven buffed out a breath between her lips and tried not to glare at him. She shouldn't have felt as upset and indignant as she did, but there was something about the innocent redhead that really rubbed her the wrong way right now. Even though Starfire was her friend, that didn't stop Raven from feeling the cold breath of jealousy on her heart. "I don't know how she feels. She thinks I'm still searching for him in the forest outside of Jump."

"Ah." Raven could hear the note interest in his voice. It was as if he suddenly knew all of Raven's inner thoughts from those few words. "And so, she knows nothing of Robin's… _transformation_?"

"Yes. And we intend on keeping it that way for some time."

"Mm." Alfred looked over at her, a small smile turned the corners of his mouth up. "Are you concerned for her safety?"

Raven stopped walking, and looked at him, confused. "Safety?"

"Well, obviously you must be concerned for your friend's safety if you intend on keeping Robin hidden for so long." Alfred stopped by the rose bush and picked a few blooms. He inspected them carefully before handing them to Raven. She stared at their deep red color, noting how the color reminded her of blood. A sigh escaped her lips.

"It's Robin's decision." Raven looked up at him. "He wanted to keep this from the other teammates… he was worried that it would have upset them. Which I understand, but I still don't think keeping secrets from them is a good idea. Starfire gets upset when she doesn't know all the details of our lives." Raven's sighed again. "This is too complicated."

Alfred chuckled and handed her a few roses from a different bush. "Life is rarely easy."

"That's for sure."

"Alfred? You greeted Raven before me?" Robin was suddenly standing in front of them. Raven hadn't heard him approach, and she dropped the roses out of surprise. Robin smiled and bent down to pick them up and hand them back to Raven. "So, how do you like it, Little Miss Cynic?"

"It's not Titan Tower, and it's not Jump City." Raven pushed past him, feeling indignant. "And don't you dare call me that again, or I'll take your vocal chords out myself." She walked back to the house to say good-bye to Cyborg. She heard Robin approach her this time, but she refused to stop.

"Come on, don't be upset, Raven. I'm safe here… _humans_ are safe here. Jump City was… _crowded_. I didn't want to leave either, but it's better this way." Robin reached out and snagged her wrist. His onyx eyes met her and Raven could see the desperation in them. She felt the ice around her heart melt, even though she tried to keep herself cool. He always knew how to turn everyone of her "no's" into a "yes". Robin pushed a piece of hair out of her eyes and handed her another rose. "You missed one."

"Thank you." She shook her head and looked up at the sky, frustrated. How did he manage to reverse everything she felt in just a matter of minutes and a few well said words? She looked back at him. "Look, Robin. I understand why we're here, I do. It's just hard to be here while I know there could be irrevocable consequences because of our stay away from Jump."

"It'll be fine, I promise. Cyborg called Aqualad yesterday, he's going to come and hang out with the Titans until we can return." Robin grabbed Raven's hand, and the heat traveled up her arm all the way to her face. Some where in the back of her mind, she knew that what he said should have been important, but she couldn't remember why. "Please trust me."

Raven managed to pull her hand away and she sighed in defeat. "Fine. But _one_ issue of mass chaos and I'm out of here to Jump. And you're left to fend for yourself." She glared at him and headed back to Cyborg. Robin followed, and Raven was beginning to wonder _exactly_ what she had just agreed to, and how it would affect her and Robin.

)O( )O( )O(

_So, I know these past few chapters have been really just filler-chapters with not a whole lot of action. But I had to set up the next few events. I promise, things are going to pick up next chapter! Anyway, I hope you liked it, and review if you get a chance!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Honeythief  
**_Chapter Eight_

"Despite this cruel world, and all my best efforts, you surprise me with just how perfect you are" – _Honeythief,_ Halou

)O(

Raven stood on the balcony outside her room and stared down into the gardens. Robin and Bruce were talking in hushed tones, trying to keep their conversation private. She leaned one hip against the stone rail and stared at the gardens, thinking. How long was she going to have to stay here, waiting for Robin to be controllable? Furthermore, how much work needed to me done? The task seemed more than daunting, it felt damn near impossible.

As of right now Robin appeared to be doing better than she hoped. It had been almost three days since his last "meal" and he was functioning well. He could talk calmly with Bruce without feeling like he was going to gnaw on his neck. His emotions we're ruling his actions, like they had when Raven first found him. He was doing very well.

But Raven knew better than to expect this good fortune for much longer. She could tell the hunger was starting to eat at him and make him weak. She could see the weariness start to grip him tight, and it was only a matter of time before his will was crushed and he succumbed to the darker part of his new body.

Robin was growing frayed around the edges, he was having trouble paying attention to Bruce, and his sentences seemed to be growing shorter and less thoughtful. The debacle that happened last night, and the long ride this afternoon, had worn him thin. Raven knew that he would need her again soon. She let loose a long sigh, wondering if she had the heart to tell him no.

The problem was that Raven was getting stronger. After her few days of healing, her powers were starting to return to normal. She could move medium sized objects, teleport short distances, and create barriers. But, if Robin fed from her tonight, she would lose everything again and would have to wait until her powers returned before she could feed him again.

Her head began to ache at the thought. Had she become nothing more than a food source? Just another link in the chain? Plant – Cow – Demoness – Vampire?

"Raven?"

She stared down at Robin, who frowned up at her. "Yes?"

"Have you been listening this whole time?"

"No, not really. Should I have been?" She forced a small smile, trying to keep her tone teasing. If she could get him to smile, he wouldn't ask what she'd been thinking about. Robin let the edges of his mouth turn up, and Raven breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe for now.

"Only if you want to know my secrets."

"Oh, I know them all already, so it would have been a review." She heard Bruce's chuckle, and felt her smile own grow. At least she managed to get a chuckle out of him.

"Snarky girl." Bruce said, looking up at her. There was an unusual twinkle in his eye, and Raven felt her uneasiness settle, now that she knew Bruce _could_ smile. "I like her already."

"Pft. I see how it is, you're both going to gang up on me."

"Oh, come on, Dick. Don't get your panties in a twist." Bruce gently punched his arm, and Robin had a tough time hiding the smile on his lips. He looked up at her, and for a few seconds Raven got the distinct feeling that she _belonged_. That even though the bird and the bat had their own rag-tag family, she was invited to join in spite of her rocky past. Her heart twisted in a funny, painful way, and Raven was forced to look away, to collect herself. Bruce's strong voice brought her back. "We were going meet in the library later to discuss some things, will you be joining us?"

Raven blinked, surprised by the question. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Just asking." Bruce shrugged, but there was something in his movement that suggested he knew something she didn't. Raven absently wondered if it was dinner-time for the vampire. She sighed and looked at Robin, but he avoided her gaze. Must be dinner. Robin turned to Bruce and whispered a few things before looking back up at her.

"Raven, hang on a sec, I need to talk to you, if you don't mind."

Raven motioned to the sun, slowly setting behind the trees in the west. "I've got nothing but time. What do you need?"

"I'll tell you in a second." Without another word, Robin disappeared into the house, leaving Bruce staring up at her. He forced a weak smile, but this time it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Don't worry, Raven. We'll get this worked out… Robin's dealt with worse, and with you on his side, there isn't much he _can't_ face." Bruce's words were pretty and strong, but Raven couldn't help but wonder how he knew they would fix this. And what exactly was he basing his assumptions off of? He didn't know anything about her, let alone about what horrors plagued Robin daily. She tried to return his smile, but knew it fell flat.

"I know." There was a knock at her door, the noise made her heart sink into her stomach. It was time. Raven gave a half-hearted wave to Bruce, and he returned the gesture as he turned into the house. She closed the French-doors leading to her balcony and locked them tightly. The knock came again, and Raven wondered if she should answer and let him in, or just turn him away. Her heart sank into her stomach at the rouge thought. How could she refuse her leader? Even if her life was forfeit. "I'm coming, hang on."

Raven walked to the door, but her hand stilled on the handle. She wanted to turn him away, to tell him that she couldn't feed him tonight. She wanted to tell him no, to tell him to find a maid or something and munch on her instead. But the words wouldn't form on her lips, and she found herself opening the door anyway. Robin stood there in the dim light from the hallway, and tried to smile. This time, it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Do you mind if I come in?"

"I can't have you standing in the hallway like a lost little bird." Raven moved to the side and let him in. Robin scowled at her jab at him, but said nothing. There was a long, uncomfortable silence, and Raven sighed as Robin began pacing around the room. He was obviously waiting for conversation to be sparked, and he could thread his request into his response. Raven took a few steps back and fell back against the bed. What was the point of being coy? "Let me guess… it has to do with your dinner?"

"Don't be upset, Rae."

Raven cringed and felt a frown touch her lips. She _hated_ it when he called her that, it turned her heart to mush, and she couldn't deny him anything. Even herself. "Fine, I'll keep my thoughts to myself." She sighed again and stared up at the ceiling, letting another silence hang between them. "Honestly speaking though, do you need me?"

"Need you?" The moment Robin repeated her words, she knew that she should have spoken more carefully. Whatever he was thinking at this moment was sure to bring a more than a flush to her cheeks. Robin blinked a few times before responding. "Er…I'm alright for tonight. I don't feel an _intense_ craving, but… I think I'm going to need you tomorrow."

Those two little words again. Raven cleared her throat and turned her gaze toward him. "So, I guess I get to keep my powers for another day?"

Robin seemed surprised. "Oh, you're getting them back?"

"Yeah. I kind of missed them." She forced a smile and tossed a pillow at his head. He caught it and stared at it. Raven watched him out of the corner of her eye. He looked torn and upset, frustrated with himself. He looked like personification of "dejection", and Raven hated herself all the more because of it. She sighed and patted the empty space next to her. "C'mon, Wonder Boy, let's have this talk you wanted."

Robin lay next to her on the bed, silence still their companion. After another minute he turned and looked over at her. His dark eyes searched her face for a moment, before he asked the question Raven dreaded. "Are you mad at me?"

_Was_ she mad at him? Upset, frustrated, even a little betrayed… those were all "yes" answers. But _mad at him, _well, that was complicated. Deep down she knew this wasn't his fault. He'd made a few stupid mistakes and ran off on his own, but he didn't create this disaster. He lived it. Raven knew that until they could find an answer, he would wake every morning a monster that craved human blood. And Raven was still whole. She couldn't be mad at him, not until he gave her a reason to be. "I _want _to help you, want to be there for you. You called for me and I answered. I knew what I was getting into, and I won't back down." Pause. "So, am I _mad_ at you? No, you haven't really given me a reason."

"I will in a second." It was Robin's turn to heave a deep sigh.

"Ah. Alright. Shoot." Raven rolled on her side and looked down at him. She propped her head up with her hand as Robin worked up the courage to tell her the dreadful news. Silence. Raven rolled her eyes. "C'mon, it can't be _that _bad. What's going on?"

"Bruce is having a party next week."

Okay, so it _could _be that bad. She had the sudden urge to bang her head against a wall, she was guessing it would have the same effect. Raven stood up and walked to the French doors. She stared at the now empty garden, watching the shadows disappear into the night. How she wished she could have followed them. "Fantastic. And what exactly does he wants us to do? Be the coat-check couple? Sift through pockets for phone numbers and blackmail?"

"Don't be so upset, Rae." There was that name again. Raven turned and stared at him, but he didn't seem to notice her glare in the dark. He was going to turn her inside out by the end of the conversation, and she was helpless to stop him. She might as well give in now.

Robin reached over and turned on the antique Tiffany lamp. Beautiful patterns of reds, blues, and greens danced across the walls and floor. A few of the colors scattered across Robin's body, and Raven felt her heart begin its normal pounding at his beautiful sight. He was stretched out on the bed, barefoot and clad in dark jeans and a white t-shirt. He looked like a model for a cologne ad, or if he had been shirtless, he would have looked more like Mr. July, ready for your lusty weekend at the lake.

Raven flushed and turned away. She _really _didn't need to be thinking things like that now, or _ever_. Robin was her leader and he depended on her strength to help him through this fiasco. She couldn't just let her mind wander wherever she please, Raven had to keep all of her thoughts in check. Besides, right now he could smell her emotions and she didn't feel like explaining herself to him. Especially about _that_.

A muscle ticked in Robin's jaw, but he gave no indication that he knew what she was thinking. He cleared his throat and watched her move across the floor. "Bruce has been getting a little nervous lately. I guess there've been some odd things happening around Gotham, and he doesn't know what to make of it." He pushed a hand through his hair and fell on his back, sighing. "He wants us to mingle and see what we can find out. Actually, he was hoping he could use your powers."

"Don't they all?" Raven went and joined him on the bed, being careful not to touch him. The last thing she needed was a sensory overload. "Alright, since he's been so accommodating for us, I'll lend him a hand." She saw Robin smile and a little spark of joy warmed her chest. Why did he do that to her? Stupid boy. "So, what does he know so far?"

"Not a whole lot. It's just a few odd things here and there that are unsettling." Robin chewed on his lip, and for a brief moment Raven saw the sharpened point of a fang poke out from beneath his upper lip. Her stomach knotted at the sight. He lied. He was hungry, but was too damn proud to admit it. Of course he'd wait as long as he could, putting himself and the rest of the manor in danger. The dolt. Robin continued, unaware that Raven knew his secret. "From what he told me… it could be…"

Raven snapped her attention back to the conversation. "Could be…?"

"Well, to be honest, it sounds a lot like Gizmo's work."

The words felt like an anvil on her lightening mood. Gizmo. This was _not_ what she wanted to hear. Raven frowned. If it _was_ Gizmo's work, then that would have meant the pink-haired menace would have been in on it too. The pink haired menace she sent into another dimension and somehow found her way out. She rubbed her forehead, determined to stop the headache she was getting. "Gizmo. Great. Just what we need to deal with, a brat with brains _and_ a pink-haired vampire."

"I wish I could tell you I had better news."

"I wish you could too, but I guess that's how this stupid game works. It's no one's fault, Robin… just…" Raven stopped mid-sentence and looked over at him. He was looking at her as if she were a tasty treat. She rolled her eyes and let her head fall against the pillow. "Hey, Robin?" She didn't wait for a response. "Next time I ask you a question, will you at least _attempt _honesty?"

"I'm sorry, Raven… I hate to ask, but…" She could feel his shame as he forced his eyes away from her. There was a long pause as her harsh words hung in the air. Robin sat up, his shoulders hunched over in defeat. "I don't want this any more."

"You can't help it." Raven reached out and snagged his fingers. For a brief moment she felt electricity course between them and her heart stopped. She forced a weak smile, hoping he didn't hear the pounding in her chest. "Just get it over with, and stop dawdling. I'll meet with Bruce tomorrow and we'll discuss this together. I can't have you running around chasing humans all over the property."

Robin leaned over her, his knees and arms caging her in. He stared, eyes dark with an emotion neither one wanted to speak. "I don't want this anymore. I don't want to take from you."

"I'm giving it to you freely. You don't want a gift?" Raven tried to be sweet. She tried to be the woman in her dreams, batting her eyelashes and looking inviting. If she had to trick him into wanting to eat her, she _would_ do it. She would pretend to anything he wanted, if that's what it took to save him, so be it. Robin licked his lips carefully, bending down to smell her hair.

The moment seemed suspended in time, like a guillotine blade glittering in moonlight. Raven could feel his breath, hot and moist on her neck, and something in her stirred. Raised its head and called out to him. She _wanted_ him. In fact, it was more than that. Whatever _this_ was made her crazy. So crazy that she was on the verge of _needing_ him. And that fact scared her more than anything. Raven had never needed anything in her entire life. But now she _needed_ Robin?

Her breath hitched as Robin grabbed both her wrists and pinned them above her head. His lips turned up in a ragged smile and his fangs glimmered in the colorful light from the lamp. "Tell me no, Raven, and I'll let you go and wait until your ready. Tell me to stop and I will… I don't want to do this."

"You can't wait for me to be ready. Just go ahead and drink…" Raven tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck. Robin stared at Raven and his emotions washed over her, drowning her in everything he felt at _that_ moment. His desire, his anger, frustration, and a few other things that made her blush. She forced her gaze to meet his. "So? You don't… _need_ me?"

Robin growled low in his throat and bit down hard into her neck. White lightning whipped through her blood and Raven was helpless to stop the whimper that escaped. His lips felt warm and soft against her neck, like velvet. She could get used to a little of this every now and then. His tongue swirled around her sensitive skin, and Raven almost lost her mind.

Robin's free hand moved. He tangled his fingers in her hair before letting his touch wander over her. His hand slid down her body slowly, as if it were taking a leisurely stroll down her face. His fingers stroked her clavicle before venturing lower. Raven's heart skipped a beat. Where exactly was this wandering hand going? He traced the hourglass shape of her body softly, and then Robin's strong hand gripped her breast with such force it almost felt bruising. It hurt, but not enough to keep Raven from moaning. What in the world was he _doing_ to her? His fingers found all the interesting hollows of her chest, played and teased as if she were his.

Why was Raven letting this happen? Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she should have reached out and stopped him, knew that this would only end badly. But she couldn't find her voice, and part of her didn't want to. Part of her wanted to wallow in this dark shadow like she belonged there.

Robin's fingers wandered southward. Lower, dipping into her belly-button and making a small chuckled escape her lip. His fingers stroked the smooth metal of the button on her jeans, lingered there, as if they were deciding to do something or not do it. He decided not to, and his touch smoothed over the roundness of her hips. Raven's breath was coming in ragged gasps now, trying to decide if this shadow was darker than she wanted it. His fingers slipped even lower, stroking her inner thigh with small, careful strokes. A few fingers moved an inch northward, lighting a fire Raven never wanted.

"STOP!" Raven yanked her neck away from him. His teeth ripped through her alabaster skin and blood leaked out, marring her skin and staining the t-shirt she wore. Her breath was hot and angry, and it clawed at her lungs. She struggled against the hand that held her arms in place, trashing around and trying to get him off her. Robin was whispering under her breath, trying to calm her, but it wasn't working. She felt the tears leak into the corners of her eyes and she hid her face in her shoulder. "Stop. Please. Let me go."

"Raven…" Robin's hand didn't move. "I'm sorry… I just…" Their eyes met and Raven could see the shock and anger in his own eyes. He didn't know what he was doing, he let the vampire take control. And look what happened. They learned something valuable today. Robin stared at her for another minute before he finally pushed himself away from her. "I don't have an excuse. That was deplorable and stupid. I will not blame you if you hate me. I just got so caught up in the emotions that I just wanted to…" the words hung, unspoken in the air between them. A scarlet letter they both saw, but could not admit.

Robin frowned and turned away, guilt coursing through him. It washed over Raven, nearly choked her with its force. Robin let his head hang. "I should go."

"Yes." That was all she could manage to say. Yes? She couldn't think up a better response to her leader who had nearly set her will ablaze. She pressed a hand to the wound in her neck, hiding it from his prying eyes, ashamed.

Robin walked out the door, barely uttering: "I'm sorry."

)O( )O( )O(

_So, I hope this was a little more exciting than the last few chapters. ^.^_

_FYI, it's gonna get pretty citrus-y from here on out. So, if you're expecting the innocence of "Twilight" think again. Pick up a Christine Feehan novel ("Dark Magic" and "Wild Rain" are my favorites) and you'll be a few steps closer. I'll try to warn you ahead of time if I have to up the rating. Thanks!_

_Don't forget a review, it helps me SO MUCH!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Honeythief  
**_Chapter Nine_

)O(

Robin had been sitting outside Raven's door for the whole day. Alfred had gone in two, maybe three times, but Robin had been barred from the room. He sat, tapping his fingers on the hardwood floor, waiting for her to speak with him. Alfred came up the hallway at his usual, unrushed pace, and Robin looked up at him.

"Will she see me?"

Alfred was holding a wound kit in one hand, and a bowl of cherries in the other. Cherries. Since when did Raven like cherries? Robin rubbed his forehead and looked up at his old friend, waiting for an answer. Alfred game a small shrug and motioned toward the door. "Ask her yourself, Master Grayson. You've been sitting out here since midnight waiting for divine intervention. Knock."

Robin got to his feet and stared at the heavy, dark door as if it were something sinister. He took a long, deep breath, then raised his hand and gave a soft tap to the wood. There was the slight sound of movement, and Robin ventured further. "Raven, can I talk with you?"

"No."

Alfred shook his head and entered the room without asking for permission, but closed the door before Robin could get a good look inside. He did manage to catch a small glimpse of the room, which was starting to resemble mass chaos. Raven's books, and a few new ones from Bruce's library, were scattered around her, open to pages marked with notes on post-its in her neat, even handwriting.

Robin pressed his ear to the closed door, hoping to catch snippets of their conversation.

"Here you go, Miss Raven." There was a soft "clank" as the ceramic bowl was set down.

"Please just call me Raven, Alfred."

Alfred continued, barely acknowledging her request. "We have to change your bandage."

Raven sighed deeply. "Again?"

"Again. If it were to get infected Master Grayson would throw a temper tantrum."

Raven chuckled. "Alright." There was a long period of silence, and then Raven spoke again. "Thank you, Alfred."

"You're welcome." Robin could hear him gathering up his supplies, putting everything back into the often used wound kit. "You know, whatever happened between you and Richard yesterday…" There was a long pause, and Robin imagined he was looking at Raven with that expression only he could give. The one that said everything and nothing at the same time. He was used to being on the receiving end of that look. "He's been outside your door for almost eighteen hours straight, Miss Raven. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I have good feeling he wants to make amends."

Raven sighed again, and there was the sound of her adjusting the pillow behind her back. "Fine, Robin. You can come in. Seeing as I know your ear is pressed against the door."

He tried to look sheepish as he opened the door, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. There was a long, awkward pause as Alfred gathered his things and left without another word. Robin moved a few books off the large leather chair in the corner and sat down, knowing she watched his every move with careful eyes. "Hi, Raven."

"Hello, Robin…" She sighed and pushed a large, ancient looking book off her lap. Her dark eyes caught his attention, and Robin felt like everything was going to be okay. That he hadn't done inerasable damage and maybe she would forgive what he did. Raven brushed a lock of her soft, plum colored hair out of her face and breathed in a long, shaky breath. "I'm sorry… about last night. What happened was inevitable, and my reaction was-"

"Wait." Robin held out his hand, and silenced her. She blinked a few times in shock, but kept her lips sealed. He could feel the anger and frustration twisting against his stomach. What did she think she was doing? "What in the world are you apologizing to me for? _I'm_ the one that… _attacked_. _I'm_ the one that frightened you. _I'm_ the one that made you have to wear _that_." He motioned to the bandage, and Raven's hand moved to cover it. "If it hadn't been for me, this whole thing would have never happened. You should have told me no. Damnit, Raven, you should be _mad_ at me, but you're _apologizing_? What sense does that make?"

Raven sighed and looked away, irritated. "Are you finished?"

"Almost." Robin stood up and walked to her side; he pushed a few books out of the way and took a seat next to her on the bed. Raven pulled back a little, surprised at their closeness, and Robin cringed. He'd scared her, and that wasn't his intention. He just couldn't handle the separation between them; Raven was his best friend. In an effort to calm her, Robin threaded his fingers through hers, and bent forward a little. "Please don't apologize to me, Raven. I won't listen. What I almost did was disgusting, and I can't forgive myself. I hurt you… I almost…" Robin couldn't finish, and he dropped her hand.

"I egged you on," Raven said, her tone wearied. She rubbed her head to ward off a headache and stared at him through her dark lashes. "I teased you, Robin… you didn't need that and if you had… gone further… I don't know if I could have stopped you. And that would have been my fault." Her face flushed an intriguing color of red and she looked away, pretending to be more interested in a book.

"Shut up, Raven." His harsh tone pulled her attention back to him, and Robin pushed a few more books off the bed as he slid closer to her. He could hear her heart pick up pace, starting to slam against her ribs with surprising force. He was scaring her. "You're always so damned concerned with keeping the peace. You don't want to stir up trouble because you've caused enough on your own and blah blah blah. For God's sake, I almost _raped_ you last night. In fact, I know would have if you hadn't stopped me."

Raven flushed and tried to scoot away from him, but she had backed up against the headboard and there was no where to go. She cleared her throat, and started to move things out of her way, trying to keep normalcy around her. "Stop being so dramatic, Robin… it wouldn't have been rape."

Robin felt unbridled anger rise up into his throat, and it took every ounce of his self control to rein it in. What in the world was she thinking? He attacked her, and she was taking it as if this were a normal occurrence? As if every day was another day at the fingertips of violence. He watched her shift things on the bed, making an escape route. "What in hell do you mean by that, Raven? Of course it would have been rape."

"Your _ministrations_ wouldn't have gone unrequited." Raven managed to scoot away from him and started toward her balcony, seeking fresh air. Robin felt his own heart start to pick up. He wanted her words to be true, but he knew they weren't. He knew that the only things that made them react to each other were hormones. It was a basic chemical reaction, and Robin knew that. Raven didn't love him, sometimes he wasn't sure if Raven even _liked _him. Raven sighed again and fidgeted with a small planter. "I… I would have been a willing participant."

Robin sighed and rubbed his forehead, trying to ease his own headache. "Just because our chemistry works well together doesn't mean you should do whatever your hormones tell you." Raven turned to look at him, and was it just his imagination, or was there hurt in her eyes? Did she…? No, there was no way Raven held any other feelings than camaraderie toward him. "I know that what I do to you… it gets you excited. I feel the same way when you're around. I know that when we're together all we think of is… well, sex. Blatant, unadulterated sex. But, Raven…" Robin sighed and joined her on the balcony. "You don't love me. I know that. What almost happened last night… regardless of if you had been willing, would have been nothing short of rape. For all that is good and decent in this world, please, be mad at me."

Raven watched him, her eyes never leaving his face. She reached out and tangled her fingers in his for a moment before whispering: "I can't. I just can't." Raven dropped his hand and turned to face the garden. "You're my friend, Robin, and I care for you. If this is just a chemical reaction, so be it. But I teased you, and you took the bait. In my eyes, I messed up and it was my fault. So, go ahead and spout off your speech, but I can't be mad. Not at you."

Robin shook his head and moved to stand next to her. "You need a good spanking."

"You'd enjoy that too much." Raven smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Silence enfolded them, and they stood in it for awhile, waiting for the right time to speak. Raven looked up at him, her expression curious. "What if this is permanent and you have to pick a mate?"

"I won't think about that now." And he wouldn't. He wanted to keep his options open in case they did find a cure for this. If they didn't… then he'd have to find another solution. But until that moment arose, he would push any other options into the dusty depths of this mind, where they belonged. Robin gave his friend a small push. "You're such a downer, Rae. Always thinking the worst. We'll figure this out, don't worry."

"I'm not worried." Raven puffed out and indignant breath. "I just think you're taking this too lightly. I didn't want to tell you any of this… but it doesn't look like there's a cure for what happened. At least, not in any of my books. Some of Bruce's books have recipes for weird concoctions made with yolks of dragon's eggs, and witch's breath mixed with holswragth. I'm not even sure what in hell that is." She paused and nibbled on her lower lip, an action that drew Robin's attention to her full mouth. How come he'd never noticed how delicious-looking her lips were? Raven turned away from him and leaned against the balcony rail.

"I'm not ready to give up." Robin stood next to her and watched Alfred pruning one of his rose bushes. He appeared uninterested in the soft spoken conversation above him. "If I give up, then I have to accept that this is who I am and I will never change… and I'm not ready to do that. I know there's an answer out there, we just haven't found it yet."

Raven made a slight gagging noise, and Robin glared at her. She gave him a sweet smile and batted her eyelashes as if nothing had happened. He glared again, and her face fell into its normal nonchalant appearance. "Look, I'm all for fighting the good fight, but being optimistic about this is going to break your heart all the more if we can't find what you need."

"We'll figure it out, Raven. I promise." He grabbed her hand again. "It'll be okay."

"Don't tell me I didn't warn you." Raven untangled her fingers from him and started back to her room. She started putting the books into nice, neat piles. The most informational and helpful books went next to her bed, while the other's were placed by the door to be put back into the library. Robin leaned against the door frame and watched her silently.

A mate. He tried to keep his thoughts from going into the darker places he locked up, but occasionally he wandered there. _You trust her with more than just your keeping_. Ester had said those exact words to him just a few days ago, and at the time they made him blush. Raven was his friend, his teammate, even his nurse. But… his mate. The thought was not unwelcome. In spite of her cold exterior, she loved deeply, you just had to look very hard to find it. But Raven was very pragmatic about the world around her, if you mentioned a flower was pretty she would point out that the only reason it was pretty was to attract insects so it could make more flowers. It was how nature worked. Love, he assumed, would be no different for her.

Robin sighed and fell into the leather armchair again. Silence enfolded them again, and he watched her slender body move through the room, tidying up the mess. A mate. Even with her darkness, would Raven be… Robin stopped the thought before it had a chance to finish forming. He would not venture there. Ever. He valued his friendship too much.

Raven stood up and put her hands on her hips and stared at him. "Are we going to speak with Bruce or not?"

"He's in town right now, but he'll be back later tonight."

She sighed. "So, what should we do until he returns?"

Robin shrugged. "Let's take a walk."

"A walk?" Raven rolled her eyes, but she started for her jacket anyway. "And do what?"

"Discuss the problems of the universe." Robin shrugged, but he couldn't help the sly smile that peeled across his lips at her expression. She rolled her eyes and tugged on her jacket.

"You're such a dork."

"But you're stuck with me."

"Unfortunately."

)O(

Raven lay stretched out of a plush, red sofa in the library, enjoying the fire roaring in the fireplace. She was bookless, a first for her since she got here, and was just letting her mind wander through the events of the past few days. She still refused to think about last night. Robin sat across from her, eyes buried in a book about vampires. Something old and tattered and still in Latin. He looked up at her and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I can't figure this word out for the life of me. It's been five years since I conjugated words in Latin." He held the book out to her and Raven sighed, her eyes were tired of Latin. She'd been reading it so much she started to hear it in her dreams.

"Demons." She pushed the book back to him, not wanting to see any more. "That passage is about the similar ancestry between demons, werewolves, and vampires."

Robin's face fell. "You read this already?"

"Not that one, but I've seen the passage before in another book." Raven watched the flames of the fire for a little bit more. She could feel Robin's eyes on her, waiting to elaborate. She sighed again, growing tired. "It talks about how this great God of the underworld, of some forgotten religion, grew tired of being only able to rule the underworld. So, he split himself in three. Demons to rule the dead, werewolves to rule the night, and vampires to rule the day. But the other gods got angry at this new power and punished him. Vampires became cursed by the sun, werewolves could only change with the moon, and the demons were confined to the underworld." She picked up a copy of _GQ_ that was sitting on the coffee table and thumbed through it. "Hogwash, if you ask me."

"You're one to talk." Robin put the book down.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Raven glared at him. She knew where he was going with that, and she didn't like it one bit.

"You're the daughter of Trigon. I didn't think you'd be one to thumb your nose at someone's idea of religion." Robin crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. Raven thought he should consider himself lucky he still had a head. "I'm not trying to provoke you or anything… I'm just saying that you should consider your own situation before making judgments."

Raven sighed and rolled up the copy of _GQ_, then proceeded to smack Robin upside the head. She glared at him as he held his face gingerly, frowning at her. "Think before you speak next time, Bird Brain."

"Don't get so defensive, Raven. I was just stating an observation." Robin leaned back into the sofa and looked away, giving Raven a few more minutes of precious silence. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting her mind wander again. She couldn't help thinking about Robin's "Be Mad at Me for Nearly Taking Your Innocence" speech. It had been a lot of very cut and dry explanations about how they were compatible, and that was the only reason they reacted with such passion.

Truth be told? Raven would have gladly given away whatever he wanted last night. Had he managed to calm her down, she wouldn't have woken alone this morning. She wouldn't have locked herself in her bedroom sobbing quietly into her pillow. But she couldn't have told him yes. There were great consequences to an action as rash as sex. For Robin, it meant he would have chosen a mate. He would have to be Raven's the rest of his life, and she couldn't condemn him to that.

Even if there was a little piece of her that secretly desired it.

"Evening."

Raven started and pushed herself into a sitting position. Bruce smiled at her and took a seat in a huge leather armchair, a glass of scotch in his hand. Robin nodded a greeting, but didn't say anything. Bruce waited another moment before he continued to speak. His sharp eyes turned to Raven, watching her like a bird of prey. "Are you feeling better, Raven?"

She blushed, and wondered how much of last night Robin had told his benefactor. Raven managed to squeak out a "yes." She unrolled the _GQ_ and pretended to be interested in an article on some male pop star.

"Good… it's nice to know you're feeling better." Bruce swirled the contents of his glass, the ice knocking together in the glass. Raven felt color flood her face again, and she buried her nose in the magazine again. Awkward silence, and then: "I was hoping I could ask a favor of you, Raven."

"Er, sure. I'll help as much as I can." Raven thumbed the pages of the magazine again, now looking at a cologne article. It smelled like sewer water. She managed to look up at the imposing figure before letting her eyes dart down into the pages again. There was something about Bruce that set her on edge, maybe it was the fact he was the size of an angry grizzly. That could have been it. "What was it you had in mind?"

"Well…" Bruce took a drink of his scotch, giving him a moment to think. "I have to host this ridiculous gala every year." He sighed, and looked into the fire. "I'm not partial to it at all, but Alfred makes me do it. The nice thing about it is that I get to hear every side of every story… and there've been some strange ones lately. Electronics and robotic parts stores keep losing inventory… it started off as nothing more than a small prank, but I've got a feeling it's just the beginning. The commissioner just thinks it's a bunch of kids, but whatever is stealing these electronics has to be incredibly intelligent. There's been some high-grade pieces under strict lock-and-key that have gone missing."

"Gizmo." Raven put the magazine down and started to chew on her lower lip. She felt Robin watch her, but refused to look him in the eye. "He starts off as an annoyance, and grows into a pain in the ass."

Bruce nodded. "Robin said he usually keeps to Jump City. It really makes me concerned that he's spread out into Gotham."

"Mm." Raven mumbled agreement, trying to keep herself from wondering if the pink-haired dolt was far behind the grumpy midget. She shouldn't be concerned with Jinx right now, she should be concerned with Gizmo, Bruce was counting on her. "And you want me to flit through the crowd and read people? Try to see if any of them know about Gizmo, or what his plans are?"

Bruce nodded again. "Correct. I invite people from all walks of life with all kinds of backgrounds, and there's no telling who is involved with what. My best bet right now is that this Gizmo kid has been hired by someone else. But for what… well, I'm not sure about that."

"I have no problem helping you. I'll be more than happy to lend you my services… it's just…" Raven took a deep breath and let it out slowly, praying she wasn't going to upset the grizzly in the corner. "There's a small problem."

He kept calm and only raised an eyebrow. "That is?"

"I can't keep…" She swallowed hard and dried to ignore Robin's guilty expression. It wasn't his fault… too much. "My powers diminish with each time Robin drinks from me. In order to have enough of my powers to do what you're asking, Robin's going to have to avoid…" She searched for the right euphemism, but it never came. "Robin just can't feed from me until after that party."

"Pft." Robin's indignant growl from his chair reminded Raven that he was still there. She glanced over at him, as he pouted in the corner. "I don't need you every second of the day, you know. I can go three more days without you."

Raven raised a suspicious eyebrow. "So you say."

"You know what… you're gonna start ticking me off in a second." Robin stood up from his chair and approached her, but Raven pulled into a standing position first.

"_I_ am? _I'm_ going to tick _you_ off?" She didn't know what set her off right then. Raven wasn't an angry person, cold and distant maybe, but never _angry_. She tried to convince herself that it had been a long day, that she had been tired of looking for an answer to Robin's problem, that she was a little homesick and missed her friends. It really didn't matter what the reason was, the _truth_ was, at that moment, Robin looked like a good target. "Excuse me for breathing. Hell, you know what? Excuse me for trying to help you out. I'm sorry that I'm such a bother to you, that I've gotten you messed up in this big ordeal you never wanted. I'm sorry that I've put my life on hold to help you out. And I'm sorry that I've cursed you with this horrible transformation."

"Raven…" Robin reached out a hand for her but she backed away. Somewhere in the middle of the speech, she lost her anger and tears started to prick her eyes.

"Leave me the hell alone, Robin. I'm tried of being taken advantage of." _And I'm tired of having my heart broken_, she added silently. "I'm going to bed. Wake me up in three days before I have to go to this stupid gala." Raven grabbed the book he had been reading and stormed out of the library, knowing full and well that she had just made a spectacle of herself in front of Bruce.

And she didn't care.

)O(

_So, there it is. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I had a ton of fun writing it. I think this thing is probably going to wrap up in the next three or four chapters. Also, if you're so inclined, check out the prologue to my latest creation _Wide Awake._ I hope you enjoyed this, and leave a review! I like to hear your thoughts._


	10. Chapter 10

**Honeythief  
**_**Chapter Ten**_

)O(

Robin tapped his fingers against the oversized, mahogany desk, feeling antsy and uncomfortable. He stared at the paper in front of him, trying to pick out familiar names written in neat, even hand writing around table numbers. He could focus, so nothing seemed to make sense, and it just irritated him more. He'd spent two days away from Raven, sensing he needed to let her alone for a while. However, he quickly discovered that two days was a long time to be away from her, and now he was beginning to feel the effects. He felt stressed and irritable, and every time something was said to him, he snapped back at the speaker. Raven, he realized, had more of an impact on him than he wanted to admit. All in all, he really missed being around her. Even if she drove him crazy.

Robin spun his pen between his fingers and thought. This whole mess had been his fault, he knew that and Raven knew that. As much as she tried to stop him from blaming himself, he knew the truth. If Robin hadn't chased after Jinx, this wouldn't have happened. If he hadn't asked Raven for help. If he hadn't insisted on staying away from the other Titans. If he hadn't insisted on chasing after Beatrice's clan. If he hadn't made such stupid decisions those few nights ago. IF. Everything was an "if", and it always seemed to circle back to him.

He couldn't stop thinking about two nights ago, when her patience with him had finally broken. He'd been upset then, but Raven had been _mad_. Plain old, flat-out _M-A-D. _There was no other way to explain how she reacted. It was like something in her snapped at all the self-control she worked so hard to obtain, had vanished. Robin didn't mean to push her over the edge, he had just felt indignant and upset that she regarded him as an annoyance, like a thorn in her side. But he overacted, and pushed her away because she'd made him angry. And now she wasn't speaking with him, and Robin couldn't blame her. He was barely on speaking terms with himself.

"Master Grayson?" Alfred looked up from the stack of response cards in front of him. There was a long pause as he looked over the rim of his reading glasses at Robin, his expression inquisitive. He let the greeting hang in the air as Robin fidgeted for a moment. Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Is there something we need to talk about?"

Robin's pen paused above the guest list, staring at Commissioner Gordon's name like it was a strange word. "Maybe… I don't know." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Do you think Raven will ever talk to me again? Is she going to gnaw my head off every time we see each other? I know I upset her, I know I overreacted, but… I'm just upset. But I'm more upset that I made her mad than what she said…" Robin sighed and put his pen down. "What is wrong with me?"

"Richard… Raven is your best friend?"

"I… I guess…" Robin chewed on his lower lip, but didn't look up into Alfred's face, who he knew was staring at him with "that expression". He sighed and leaned back into his chair. "Okay, _fine_. She is my closest friend."

"And do you expect friends to never fight?" Alfred continued finalizing the seating list, his calm, even voice bringing sense to Robin. He thought about it for another second, was that all it was? Just a fight between friends? Or had it transformed into something bigger?

Robin rubbed his forehead, trying to ease the ache. "No, I guess I don't."

"Mm…" Alfred said nothing more, and the room turned to thoughtful silence again. Robin pondered exactly _what _Alfred was implying. He never expected Raven and him to have a completely smooth and happy friendship all the time… did he? He wasn't sure even what _kind _of relationship was between them anymore. After the debacle from a few days ago… Robin sighed and returned to the tower of paper in front of him, pushing the thought from his mind. Another hour passed as Alfred and Robin wrote down names and seating preferences. Robin was beginning to feel as if his brain was about to bleed out of his nose. Robin pulled down one more response card and looked at it:

To: The Titans West

How Many will be Attending? Five

Any Special Requests? THIS FREAKIN ROX!

The messy, childish scrawl was peppered across the elegant paper like litter in a pristine field. Robin felt his eyebrow twitch and he turned to Alfred. "I wasn't aware _we_ were invited."

Alfred looked over his reading glasses at him. "You weren't?" It was more of a statement than anything else, and the sound of it made Robin feel his anger rise into his chest. What had Beast Boy done? Furthermore, why hadn't he _told_ anyone about it? Alfred continued in his usual collected manner. "I received the card just days after sending it. Master Bruce and I assumed that because Beast Boy was finally eighteen it would be fine to invite the whole team this year… I thought you knew about the response." Sigh. "I suppose I should have known something was fishy then, seeing as you've never accepted the invitation before, and you've never sent the response so promptly."

"No…" Robin tried hard not to jump down his throat, he knew Alfred was secretly thrilled to have him there. He'd been trying to rope Robin into these ridiculous parties for years without any luck. He finally got his wish, and all because Beast Boy decided to go get the mail one day. Robin let a low growl slip through his teeth. "I did _not_ know."

"Mmm, here." Alfred pulled out his seating arrangement and circled a table near the dance floor. "I have you sharing a table with a few of the members from Titans East, obviously Mas y Menos are just too young to come."

Robin frowned. Sure enough he was wedged in between Cyborg and Raven. He sighed and handed the seating chart back to his friend. "I see. If you don't mind, Al. I need to find a telephone quickly." Robin stood up and walked out of the study, trying to forget the smug expression on his face. Alfred had won, this time. Robin stepped out of the hall his throat tight with the effort of keeping from screaming. He started down the hall, towards Raven's room, in the hopes that she had forgiven him enough to let him vent. He needed to vent.

"Raven!" Robin didn't even bother to knock. He found the handle unlocked and he threw open the door to her room, letting his frustration fuel his actions. He had come to let off some steam, but he hadn't been prepared for what greeted him when he entered. Raven stood in front of the huge angled mirror next to the massive closet, dressed in a long, red satin dress that swung invitingly around her trim ankles. She stopped moving and blinked a few times.

"Don't you _knock_? Jeez."

"I'm sorry… I just…" Robin's words faded off as he watched her turn and move and smooth the dress down, wallowing in her image as if she _enjoyed _being a girl. Robin hadn't known Raven to be interested in anything _girly_ in his entire life. She shunned everything that wasn't blue, gothic, and weird. He hadn't seen her in a skirt _ever_, let alone anything that was "dry clean only". The most feminine thing she owned was a pair of black ballet flats that Starfire had given her for Christmas one year. What would have changed all that now? It took a few minutes before he could speak again. "What are you _doing_?"

"Pretending I don't look horrible in everything." She growled as a strap slid off her shoulder. "Alfred is making me try on dresses for tomorrow." She gave a deep sigh as she turned around and checked out her backside. She frowned and stomped away from the mirror, as if the image upset her. Robin wasn't sure what she was frowning about, her backside looked beautiful to him. "He threatened to make me dance unless I did what he asked… the thought was enough to make me sick."

The reminder of the eminent party brought him back to _why_ he had walked in on her in the first place. He leaned against one of the posts on her elegant bed. "Speaking of which."

Raven cocked an eyebrow as she fiddled with the hidden zipper, it seemed to be caught. "Speaking of which…?"

"I thought you might find this interesting… Did you know we RSVPed?"

Raven's fingers stopped searching for the zipper. Her shocked gaze met his own, and Robin could feel her anger start to thread through the room. Good, she was just as mad as he was, at least he would have her on his side now. She took a long, deep breath before she spoke. "I'm sorry? _We_? As in… the _team_?"

"Oh, yes. Apparently the Titans West were the first to send back their response card… in Beast Boy's handwriting." Robin fell back onto the bed, a long sigh escaped. The sweet, familiar scent of lavender and plums rose up into his senses, and for a moment he calmed. "Just thought you should know."

"Do…" Raven turned to face him, her eyes mixed with all different kinds of emotions. She settled on concern and frustration. "Do you think…?"

"Yes." Robin pulled a pillow over his face and groaned as if in pain. This stupid escape from Jump City had turned into something much worse. All he had been trying to do was get away from the Titans and recoup, now they were coming to him in the middle of his only sanctuary. "Yes I do. I think we are going to be stuck at a table with the Titans West and the Titans East and we have to pretend everything is okay. That I'm just on a vacation from crime fighting and this stupid party is hunkey-dorey with me… and I haven't fed in three days and I'm getting cranky."

Raven rolled her eyes. "I can tell. Well, you're just going to have to suck it up, vampire boy."

"Don't call me that."

"Look, Robin…" She stopped her lecture and grumbled under her breath. "Could you help me with this stupid thing? I can't get it and it's starting to annoy the crap out of me." She raised her arm and Robin reached out and tugged on the zipper. For a brief second he caught the glimpse of something black and lacy on her rib cage before she retreated into the closet to undress. He tried to keep his mind from wandering in there with her. What was she wearing underneath all that finery?

Raven's husky voice brought his attention back to her and this crazy situation. "We're going to have to deal with people eventually, and I may not always be there for you. At least now we know I'll be there and I'll have my powers. We can count on that should anything go horribly awry."

"I know… but-"

"Think of it this way." Raven cut him off before he could finish his statement. "You've never come to this blasted thing before, and you're making Alfred happy… so shut up." Raven came out of the closet dressed in a blue number that had a slit clear up to her hip. Robin found he was more than a little curious to see what hid just beyond his view. She sighed and turned back toward the closet. "This is the fifteenth dress I've tried on and nothing looks right. I quit."

"You look good to me."

"Oh, of course. I always trust fashion judgments from a man who regards me as a meal instead of a woman."

Woman. The insult missed him by a mile, but the word struck his thoughts. Woman. When Robin thought about it, he realized that Raven was no longer the sturdy teenage girl he'd met five years ago. She grown into… _what_? Furthermore, exactly how old was Raven? And when had she stopped considering herself a girl? Robin knew she was younger than him… but older than Beast Boy. He also knew that she had shed her young age to be… a _woman_? Did he consider her a woman, or just Raven? The girl he saved the world with? Robin chewed on his lip, then stopped when he felt his fang draw blood. He was getting hungry, and it was taking more and more effort to ignore it. Especially since Raven was parading around him in _those_ kind of dresses.

"No."

Robin started and looked towards the door. "'No' what?"

"I'm not wearing this."

"What is it?"

Raven came out dressed in the tiniest black dress Robin had ever seen, just one more inch and all her secrets would have been exposed. She tugged at the hem, but it didn't do much good. The black satin clung to her like a second skin. Robin felt color flood his face and he coughed, unable to look away from the shocking sight. "Is that… _underwear_?"

"I'm not sure what the heck this is, but I'm not wearing it. I look ridiculous."

"That's not the _exact_ adjective I would have used…" He watched her shapely legs travel on forever. Until they ended in a pair of red stiletto heels that made him think evil thoughts, thoughts that had no place around a "girl" and every place around a "woman". His fangs lengthened some more, and it took all of his effort to keep from jumping forward and sinking them into her pale neck. "I kind of like it."

"You have testosterone. Of course you like it." She growled at her own reflection before she retreated into the closet. Robin watched the pleasant sway of her hips with strange, male satisfaction. The more he thought about it, the more he could see the woman in her. There might have been a shred of the strong-willed, sarcastic teen in her, but it was interwoven with the beautiful adult. The _woman _she was becoming. There was the familiar sound of jean fabric being pulled on, and lavender and plum filled the air. Raven appeared in her normal street clothes of jeans and a tee-shirt. "Sixteen dresses and not a single one that makes me happy. What was he thinking?"

Robin shrugged. "He was thinking 'Sixteen dresses, there has to be _one _in there she'll like'."

"Well, he was wrong." Raven huffed indignantly and crossed her arms over her chest. She stared at the closet door for a long moment before growling again. "I'm never going to find a dress by tomorrow, and Alfred's going to make me dance. And with _Roy_ of all people. Bleh."

Robin felt a sudden splinter of jealousy pierce his heart. Roy? Why Alfred threatened her with _him_? Why not Robin? What did that silly ginger-headed vain little boy have that Robin didn't? Robin had been thought to dance by the best, and could waltz along with the pros, he was suave and mature, and knew how to be a man, so why _Roy_? He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "I didn't know that was a stipulation to the dress hunt."

Raven's face colored slightly, but she shrugged and turned away from the accusing stare. "Unfortunately. Alfred apparently knows how to get at my nerves. He knew that would be the last guy on my list of 'Debonair Boys I'd Like to Humiliate Myself With'."

"Oh, I see." In the heat of the room, Robin could smell the change in her emotions and he stared at her, trying to place it. It was a scent he was familiar with, had smelled it on her on several occasions, but he couldn't place his finger on it… what was she thinking? What was going on in her head? He watched her move around the room, straightening what little mess she had made… what was that scent? It was driving Robin mad.

"So? What are we going to do about tomorrow?"

The cool heaviness of the question brought him reeling back into the present. Robin saw the corners of Raven's mouth turn into a frown when he delayed giving her an answer. She rolled her eyes at him, but he just shook his head and sighed. "Well, I'm not exactly happy about the idea, but I don't think we have a whole lot of options at this point… I guess we're just going to have to suck it up. I don't have any other ideas, and I know you're tired of…"

"Running away?" Raven raised an eyebrow, but Robin frowned at the jab.

"If that's what you want to call it, _yes_." Robin sat on the edge of her bed. They stared at each other for a moment before he sighed again, and felt the apology spill from inside him. He had forgotten all about it until he saw the plum lightning behind her eyes, the undercurrent of anger because of him. He looked up at her and frowned. "Look, I know I haven't exactly been the best companion, Raven… I've made your life a hell of a lot harder than it needs to be. And I want you to know how much it means to me that you're here… You didn't turn away from me, and I need you a lot more than I can admit to myself, let alone you."

Color flooded her face, and Raven looked away. There was a long silence, and Robin wondered if he'd said the right thing. Had he stepped out of their carefully formed boundaries and tripped over his own tongue? She turned to the door heading toward her balcony and watched the drizzle that had collected on the greenery outsize. He swallowed hard as he watched the frown form on her lips. Oh, good God. What had he done now? All he tried to do was apologize. How did he manage to mess everything up? Even something as simple as an apology?

"Robin… I appreciate your honesty. I think I really needed to hear you say that…" Raven trailed off, her eyes still glued to the window.

Robin stood up. Somehow his heart had jumped into his throat and was beating a frantic rhythm there. For some reason, he was having trouble remembering where it was supposed to go. He walked next to her, but she didn't even turn to him. He stared at the outside with her, finishing her sentence where she let it hang. "But…?"

"But…" pause. "What will happen after all this is over? After this mess is taken care of. Or even still, what will happen if this is permanent?" Her sad eyes reached his, and Robin saw the hurt reach down into the roots of her soul. Her fear and misery ran so deep, Robin wondered how long she had felt like this, and if there was any hope of helping her. "What then? Will there still be all these beautiful, brave speeches? Or will you hate me because I couldn't fix you? Because I failed."

Her words speared him and Robin didn't hesitate gathering her small body into his arms. He couldn't stand know she felt like this for him, _because_ of him. "Hate you? Raven, what are you talking about? How could I ever _hate_ you? You're my best friend, and even if you can't cure me I know that you tried your best that you worked as hard as possible to save me. Knowing that is enough for me, knowing that you care that much for me that you would give up everything to keep me safe… that's enough." Robin kissed the top of her head and breathed in the sweet scent of lavender. "Believe me."

"You say such pretty things, Wonder Boy." Raven tilted her head up to his and a small smirk appeared on her lips, but there was a shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes. He hated to see her straddling happiness and fear. She deserved to be completely happy, all the time. "Just you wait until I fail you and you'll be biting my head off… literally."

"Nah. Your neck is much tastier…" He matched her smirk, then leaned down and nipped at her skin. Raven laughed and pushed at his chest, trying to put space between them.

"Stop it, that tickles!"

Robin stopped, not because he was told, but because he felt shock ripple through him. He pulled away a little and looked down at her, surprise lining his expression. He blinked a few times. "Did I hear that correctly? _You're_ ticklish?"

Raven frowned and tried to tug herself free from his arms, but he held tight. She tugged some more before glaring at him, but his hold stayed strong, and he pulled her closer. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. _Yes_, Wonder Boy, I'm very ticklish… so be careful or I'll send you into another dimension for a week."

Robin chuckled. "I wouldn't put it past you." He felt the smile peel across his lips, and without any other normal, conscious thought, he leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss.

)O(

_So, there it is. I hope you enjoyed it, and I think this'll probably wrap up in another… oh, five or six chapters. Maybe even less. Next stop: The grand party. Enjoy! Please review if you have a chance, and check out my latest piece to avoid finishing anything I start: __**Wide Awake**_**. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Honeythief  
**_Chapter Eleven_

)O(

"You know, I really don't think those earrings match the formality of the dress." Karen, who had arrived alone earlier that morning, lounged in her underwear on Raven's plush covers and offered advice whenever she felt like it. Her normal Titan gear had been shed for the fancy occasion, and her pale-gold dress sat in waves of satin over a near-by chair. "I'd wear the pearl ones if it was me, girl. They'd look much better."

Raven stood in front of the mirror, staring at the unfamiliar image. She couldn't even focus enough to remember what color she was wearing, let alone what accessories went with this dress. Her mind kept wandering back to Robin's kiss last night. It had been chase, innocent, and… oh, who was she kidding? Her heart had nearly exploded out of her chest and she leaned up into him like some forlorn, unrequited lover. The image was enough to make her throw herself off a bridge out of humiliation.

For Raven, it was confusing, to put it mildly. She'd spent all that time an energy placing very careful boundaries between what was a chemical reaction and what were her feelings for her leader. And Robin had just violated those careful boundaries and…well, afterward he brushed the whole situation off as if it were a normal, daily occurrence. As if he had no more than reached out and shaken her hand.

After the exchange, he smiled at her and said something kind, but Raven's mind was spinning to fast to remember what he told her. They walked to dinner talking about their plan for tonight, sat in the library in comfortable silence, and had gone to bed with their semi-usual pleasantries. It felt like the innocent kiss had never happened. Raven sighed and felt her shoulders droop. All the stupid kiss had done was make their situation even more complicated, and break Raven's heart _again_. Stupid boy.

"Did you hear what I said?"

Raven blinked and turned around to face Karen. She was paging through an old copy of _People_, but her strong eyes had never left Raven. She blushed slightly and shook her head. "Sorry, Bee, I've… had a lot on my mind lately." Well, _that_ was putting it mildly. Raven thought one more ordeal, with Robin or otherwise, was probably going to send her into Arkham. She was beginning to think she'd enjoy the padded room.

"You need to listen up, girl." She rolled over onto her back and Raven felt a twinge of jealousy at her curvy, feminine figure. Raven glanced back at her reflection and sighed. She still felt she hadn't quite grown out of her stocky, pre-teen body, and here was Karen with her beautiful warm-brown skin and hazel eyes looking like some kind of African goddess. It was enough to make Raven sick. "I said that Al called Roy last night and told him of his plan." Raven felt the blood leave her face as Karen continued. "Roy told him was all too happy to 'give up his services for a good laugh'. Stupid, cocky bastard. I'm gonna knock him one good the next time I see him."

Raven felt her fingers start to shake, she wasn't sure if it was out of fear or anger. "Are you serious?"

"Honey, do I look like I'm lying? I know that boy's got a nasty streak in him, but this was just down right mean." Karen's head dangled over the edge of the bed, and she sighed like an ashamed mother. "And he was just too damn eager to put you through the humiliation, knowing you can't dance."

"I can dance." Karen raised an eyebrow and Raven felt the color return to her face in two-fold. "A little." Karen kept staring. "Alright, I can't dance at all. Happy?" She huffed out a breath of air and fell onto the bed next to her friend. "I found a dress though, so what should it matter now?"

"Because Roy will hold up his end of the bargain whether you want him to or not. You know that, and so do I… I'd rather see you punch his face in front of all those people, than have him publicly humiliate you." Karen rolled back onto her stomach and looked at the clock. It was another hour or so before guests started to arrive, and Raven knew what that meant. A full-blown honest-to-Goddess panic attack. She sighed and buried her face in her hands.

"I just don't want to be here right now."

"Awe, come on, girl." Karen rubbed Raven's back, comforting her. "It won't be that bad. Roy's pretty face deserves a few bruises anyway, and you're just the girl to give 'em to him."

Raven pulled a pillow over her head. If only she could tell Bee the truth, that she was nervous because tonight it was her job to guard a room filled with warm, happy people from a very hungry vampire. Who had shaken Raven to her very bones last night with an innocent, earth-shattering kiss, and now Raven had to pretend everything was okay. Just another swim in the piranha-infested pond. And this whole situation with Roy wasn't helping much either. "Can't you tell everyone I'm too sick to come? Please, Bee?"

"Pft. No. If you don't come with me tonight I'm going to have to sit next to Starfire and tell her that mustard can't be ordered in place of a champagne toast. And then I'll also have to tell her that an olive fork isn't used to comb someone's nose hairs like Gar told her." Karen pushed herself off the bed and walked into the bathroom, where her giant bag of make-up had been dumped in a heap of shiny colors. "I just don't have the patience for one of them, let alone the two of them together. That's why you have to come, girl. Because the only other sane being at that table will be Sparky, and he just doesn't talk that much to me any more." There was a pause and Karen sighed, picking up a tube of mascara.

"You know you're going to short-circuit him in that dress."

Karen's husky laughed peeled from the vanity. "I spent a month looking for the perfect dress, it better do more that just short-circuit him." She winked at Raven's reflection, and Raven couldn't keep the smile off her lips. If Cyborg deserved anyone, it was Karen. She had enough energy to keep the two of them going forever. "Hey, honey, I did not fly seven hours just to watch you watch me put on make up. Get your ass over here before it's too late."

Raven grumbled out an unladylike response, but it was met with a tube of lipstick hitting her smack-dab in the forehead.

)O(

Raven and Karen chatted in hushed toned as they walked down the hall to stairs for the foyer. The smell of perfume and sound of laughter and pleasant conversation rang into the tall ceiling and across the dark, marble floor. Raven stopped just before the stairs, and poked her head out from behind the wall. She looked down into the massive crowd of people below, they were mingling and the swarm of emotions and intentions hit her like a punch to the face. The party was already in full-swing and it hadn't even started, but her panic attack had.

"Hey, Sparky!" Karen walked into the open and waved to Cyborg, who looked more than dapper in his tuxedo. Raven vaguely wondered where he managed to kind a tuxedo of that size, or if it was just a hologram. She saw the crimson color flood his cheeks at the sight of Karen, and he somehow managed to wave back.

"See," Raven whispered under her breath, "I told you he'd short-circuit."

Karen laughed and quickly descended the stairs, pushing her way through the bodies to Cyborg. He reached down and pulled her into a hug before she had a chance to say "hi". Raven smiled, but didn't follow. She stood behind the wall at the top of the stairs and looking into the faces below. She recognized a few from JLA, the other Titans, but most appeared to be higher-ups from Gotham, Steel City, and Jump. No sign of Robin, although she could have sworn she caught a glimpse of Starfire's flame-colored hair. Raven ran her fingers over the intricately carved banister and sighed. She didn't belong here, she needed to be back at the Tower. Not rubbing elbows with the rich and powerful… but Bruce asked her, and she promised. And he'd done so much to help Robin already.

"Hello, Little Bird."

Raven jumped and turned around. Her heart sank into her stomach as she stared into a pair of bright green eyes shaded with copper-colored hair. Roy. If he promised to do what he threatened, he was the only person she feared more than Robin right now. Even though he looked unusually handsome, dressed in a tuxedo and acting the part of a gentleman… it had to be a front. Raven sighed and stared at him, suspicious of the fact his hands were hidden behind his back. Just what was he up to now? "Oh no. What are you doing here, Speedy?"

"Awe, come one, Rae." Roy's smile fell a little, but there was still the spark of mischief in his eyes. "I was invited just like everyone else. You don't think I'd pass up such a fantastic opportunity to rub elbows with Gotham's richest, did you?" There was a pause and his eyes darted down into the crowd below them. "Besides, I was promised your first dance. You don't think I'd just let and opportunity like _that_ pass by, do you? That's more interesting than the stuffed-shirts crowding the liquor bar."

"Oh good Goddess…Look, this isn't necessary, Speedy. I expected you to let this whole mess go and forget all about it. Besides, the stipulation was you had to dance with me _only _if I couldn't find a dress." Raven spun around, showing off the fact that she was in a very formal black dress. "Found one. You don't have to worry your pretty little head about it now. Why don't you go flirt with all those cougars down there, I'm sure they'd love to show off a Titan to their cougar friends."

"Awe. Don't be so mean, Rae. Those cougars are only here to see Bruce's little Wonder Boy anyway." Roy's face fell a little, and he pulled out two dozen pale white roses he had hidden behind his back. He handed them to her, with a sly smile spicing his lips. Raven vaguely wondered how much she could hurt him without making _too_ much of a scene. "I thought this would be fun for us, I brought flowers and everything for my date."

Raven was torn between snorting and screaming and running. She chose the former, lest she embarrass Bruce in his own home. "Your _what_?"

"You don't think I'd come to this thing all by myself, do you?" The mischievous grin came back as he saw the heat crawl into her cheeks. Of course that's what he would want, to make her squirm under his gaze. "That just wouldn't be proper, and I would feel left out with everyone else pairing up. It gets boring with no pretty girl to hang on your arm."

Raven pinched the bridge of her nose and tried not to blow something up. If Roy said one more idiotic thing, she was going to kill him. Blood stains be damned. She stared at him from beneath her intricate hair. "What do you mean, 'pairing up'? I wasn't aware we were all 'pairing up'."

"Pft. For being an empath you sure are oblivious." Roy motioned to the foyer below, Raven's eyes followed his gestures. "Fish Boy and Star are coming to this together, Cy and Bee, and Beast Boy… well… I'm pretty sure he hired that girl, but I haven't got any proof." He turned and looked back at Raven. "Unless you're planning on going with Bruce's precious little ward, you're at this thing alone, and I can't allow that."

"Well, gee, how kind of you." Raven rolled her eyes and tried to hand the roses back to him, but he took a step away. "Look, Roy. I don't want to go to this stupid thing, let alone with you, and don't even _think_ about attempting to dance with me. Or you may lose something important."

"C'mon, Rae. You can't say I didn't give it a try."

"No, I guess I can't say that." Raven raised an eyebrow and stared at him, but Roy just shrugged her stare off.

"I thought the gesture was nice." He leaned against the banister and let a moment of silence grow between them. He turned and looked at Raven, his eyes had lost all their mischief. He looked serious and focused, as if they were doing more than exchanging banter. "You don't have the highest regard for me, do you?"

"Not really, no." Raven ran a finger tip over one of the pale petals of the roses, not wanting to discuss this now. She just wanted to get this night over with, not sit here and muse with all those emotions swirling around her like a plague. She glanced at him. "You haven't given me a reason to believe you're more intelligent than you look. And blackmailing me into being a date is no way to improve your image."

"Ouch." Roy feigned pain, but his spirit was unbroken. He flashed her a bright smile, and Raven briefly wondered how she could wipe it from his face. "I'll have to try to remedy those thoughts. Whatdaya say, Rae? Just one night?"

"One night of _what_, exactly?" Raven was calculating how much damage she would cause if she tossed him over the banister. She figured it would only damage a _few_ people, and that was just collateral damage. At least she would be free from the ginger-haired nuisance.

"One night of being my date?" Roy held out his hand, but she pushed it away.

"Not on your life." Raven turned away and started for the stairs, but Roy grabbed her elbow before she got too far.

"I'm not asking for much here, I'm just asking you to accompany me to a party. Nothing else."

Raven sighed and stared at him for a while. "You're trying awful hard. What have you go up your sleeve?"

"Nothing." Roy shrugged and let go of her. The smirk had, once again, disappeared and he looked serious and sure. What was with this boy? He had more moods than a woman going through menopause. Raven continued to stare at him as he talked. At least he was pretty to look at, even if that was the only thing going for him right now. "I'm just curious what it'd be like to take someone like you out to a party like this."

Oh, _now_ she saw red. One more remark like that and they'd have to send a diver into the lake for his head. "_Like me_? What does _that_ mean?"

Roy could tell he was in hot water, and he backed off for a moment, taking a few steps away from the fuming demoness. "I didn't mean it like _that_, Rae. C'mon. I just meant…" He struggled with his words, but Raven let him squirm. He deserved a few moment of being uncomfortable. Actually he deserved a whole lot more, but she was being generous today. "You're so, oh I don't know… _untouchable_ I guess, and to see you mingling with the others and having fun and being normal, that's new to me."

"You're ticking me off real easily, Roy." Raven rolled her eyes.

"I know. That really wasn't my intention, but I'm always stepping on eggshells with you." Roy managed a laugh and held out his hand. That stupid spark was back in his eye and Raven wanted to hit him even more. "Be my date for the evening, Rae? It's just one night and it'll make me happy."

"I'm not going to win this am I?" She sighed as Roy shook his head, fighting to keep himself somber. "You're the most annoying person I've met, and that's saying something considering my best friend is _Starfire. _I'll give you one dance, just _one dance_, and _only_ because it'll make Alfred happy. And then no more of this silly 'date' thing."

"Deal." He took her hand before she offered it to him, and slipped it through his arm. Without any preamble he tugged her down the stairs and into the mess of people in the foyer. Raven began to seriously wonder what she had gotten herself into. Some one as volatile and unpredictable as Roy was sure to give her hell all night long. But at least he smelled nice. Like a campfire on a cold night. And he was still being relatively nice, _relatively._ That was saying a lot for Roy.

"See. It's not so bad." Roy whispered in her ear as they skirted around Clark and said a polite "hello". A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I can pretend to be a gentleman."

"Isn't that all you're doing?" Raven teased back at him as she waved to the mayor of Jump City. "Just _pretending_?"

"You just wait until we're dancing a tango together, I'll stop playing make-believe for you."

Color flooded Raven's face and she glared up at him. "You're an ass."

His laughter was deep and rumbled in his chest like thunder. "Oh, I know."

"Raven!" Starfire's sweet voice rang across the foyer and Raven felt panic rise into her throat like she was swallowing knives. When she was joking around with Roy the constant barrage emotions weren't so bad, but the familiar sound of wind chimes had broken her concentration. Her heart started to slam against her ribs. She felt a surge of anger from Starfire, the lust of some mistress by the bar, Karen's happiness at being with Cyborg, the jealousy of someone near the top of the stairs, and it all stemmed from her best friend. Raven tugged at her arm, but Roy's grip held firm, which only made her tug harder. He stopped walking and looked down at her, an eyebrow raised.

"You okay? Is there something I should know?"

"I have to go." Raven tugged harder. His concern washed across her and she could feel Starfire coming closer. Raven was now yanking on her arm, trying to break free. Starfire was now just a few feet behind them and Raven could hear a vase shatter in another room. She stared up at him, pleading. "C'mon, Roy, let me go… I don't want to see her now. Please. I've got to get away from here."

He blinked, surprised at her tone of voice. He glanced up at Starfire, who had gotten cornered by the mayor of Jump City, then back at Raven. "You're sitting at the same table with her all night. What does it matter if you see her now or you see her in twenty minutes?"

"Please, Roy. Not now… I'm in overload already and I just can't see her right now… I just _can't_." Raven looked up at him, and she was sure he could see the panic in her eyes. She probably looked like a deer in headlights, and that alone should have concerned him. Raven was strong, but being frightened by her best friend… there was something else going on. He had to know it by now. Roy sighed and shook his head.

"Jeez. The things I do for women." He looked around for an escape route before starting toward the ballroom. "C'mon, we'll duck into the ballroom early and get you some air." Roy took her elbow and pulled her through the mess of people. A few of them tried to stop and chat, but Roy said something rude and they backed off. He opened the door to the ballroom and yanked her inside. Soft light filled the space and Raven was instantly calmed. The room was mostly empty except for Alfred and a few waiters. Alfred looked up from his seating chart then glanced from Roy to Raven and raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"She needed a breath of air." Roy placed his hand on her shoulder and flashed one of his smiles. "Empath overload."

"Ah." Alfred folded the seating chart up and started for the kitchen. "Please take her out to the balcony, Roy, and I'll bring some tea. She just needs a few minutes to recoup."

"Thank you." Roy tugged on her elbow and brought her out onto the balcony over looking the back gardens. He set her down on a bench and shook his head. "You want to tell me what _that_ was all about?"

"Not really, no." Raven folded her hands in her lap and stared down at her fingers, blushing. The scene she had just made was completely unnecessary. She knew that Cyborg had to have covered for her and Robin, making up some excuse as to why they were off gallivanting at Bruce's for the past week, but Raven couldn't bring herself to look Starfire in the eyes and _lie_. Not to her best friend. And not about what was _really _happening to them. "I'm sorry, Roy… I know you wanted to enjoy the party."

"Fuck the party." Roy's vulgarity made Raven look up at him. He leaned one hip against the stone railing and stared at her, his green eyes clouded with concern. "You had me panicking there. The way you were reacting made me think you were gonna blow up the whole damn mansion and everything inside." He shook his head and sighed. "Maybe this isn't a good idea for you, Rae. You're… unstable right now."

That was putting it nicely. _Unstable_ seemed a fickle term to the emotions ripping through her right now. She felt like she was going to spontaneously combust any minute now. She sighed and leaned her head back against the railing, watching the darkening sky. "No, thank you. I just need a minute to gather myself. I promised Bruce I would help him, and we're not going to catch Gizmo if I'm just sitting on the sidelines letting everyone else does the legwork for me." She brushed invisible crumbs off her dress and stood up, watching confusion tear across Roy's face.

"Gizmo? You're trying to catch the grumpy midget?"

Raven nodded. "Bruce thought someone might be hiring him, and he wanted to know what for."

"A circus act?" Roy's bad joke made her smile and she chuckled.

"If only." There was a long moment of silence and Raven stared over at her friend. Light from inside brushed across his hard features and made them soft. For the briefest of minutes, Raven felt comfortable next to him. Like she felt when she was with Robin. She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Thank you, Roy. For once you've done something responsible, and I'm very proud of you."

He shrugged, his sly grin still touching his lips. "It can happen. But you still promised me a dance."

"I guess I did." Raven smiled back at him. "I think I can give you a dance."

"What about a kiss?"

"A _what_?"

"Oh, come one, Rae." Roy gently punched her shoulder, but the camaraderie did nothing to ease the red lining her vision. Roy seemed unaffected by the sight. "I just saved you from social humiliation and the rest of the mansion from certain death. The least I could ask for is one little kiss."

She rolled her eyes and stepped away from him. "And there goes all my good thoughts about you."

He laughed. "I was only joking… a little."

Raven rolled her eyes and stood on tip-toe to kiss his cheek. Warmth flooded her face and she stepped away to glare at him. "There. You got your kiss, now give me back my sanity before I have the good sense to murder you."

"Awe, that's no kiss Rae." Roy took a step closer to her, and put his fingers underneath her chin. Her face automatically tilted up to his. He was close, almost uncomfortably close, and if Raven didn't consider him a friend, and if he didn't smell so good, and if her mind hadn't been in a state of emotional disrepair, she might have pushed him away. But she didn't. And for the second time in twenty four hours, she was kissed.

But for the first time, she'd been watched.

Robin stood in the doorway and stared at the couple with a spot of black jealousy blossoming over his heart.

)O(

_And there's Chapter Eleven, what will happen in Chapter Twelve I wonder!_


	12. Chapter 12

**Honeythief  
**Chapter Twelve

)O(

"You… pompous… ginger-headed… _TWAT_!" Raven had all but forgotten about the beautiful, long-stemmed roses until they were considered a fairly good object to beat Roy over the head with. Repeatedly. Roy held up his hands to protect his beautiful face, but it didn't help stop Raven's attack. "What do you think you were _doing_? At what point did that seem like a good idea? I'm going to beat you until these roses are stuck in your face permanently."

"Hey! I was just trying to be friendly!" Roy backed up until his back hit the stone railing to the edge of the balcony. Good, there was no where else to go. At least now Raven could beat him into an apology. "I thought we were having fun."

"My version of fun doesn't include wandering hands!" Raven threw the roses into the garden, she was hoping they landed in the middle of the labyrinth and stayed there. She pressed her face close to his and glared at him. "I swear Roy I have half a mind to throw you into the garden with those stupid flowers."

"Be nice, Rae." His eyes followed her movements before he sighed and shook his head. "Look, I'm sorry, it was a stupid decision."

Raven huffed out a breath and took a step back. She saw the remorse line his face and Raven, for half a second, started to feel as though he were telling the truth. At least he was trying to tell the truth, and not be as obnoxious as usual. "Yes, it was a stupid decision, and stop calling me 'Rae'."

"I'll be nicer, next time." Roy's grin turned from guilty to coy. Well, there went the honesty. Raven rolled her eyes and started walking away, she felt Roy start to follow after a few steps. He was plucking rose petals out of his hair and from his tuxedo. "The kiss was just the beginning, you just wait for the dance."

"You shut up, Roy." Raven turned and poked a finger into his chest. "You're not getting a 'next time' _ever_. And furthermore, you're not getting a dance either. I don't care how upset Alfred is, there is not enough money in the world to make me want to dance with you or your ego."

"Oh, Ouch. That one hurt, Rae. Can't _you_ be nice?" He was whining and it started to grate on Raven's nerves.

"Being annoying isn't going to change my mind, Roy. And stop with the nicknames."

Roy stared to say something, but his eyes darted to just behind Raven, and his face fell. The teasing, friendly air around them dissipated, and Roy turned strangely serious. He rolled his eyes and grumbled to Raven. "Over-Pretentious-Wonder-Boy-Alert." He plastered on a fake smile and nodded. "Hey, Dick. Haven't seen you in a while."

Her heart slammed against her chest. Just _how_ much had Robin seen? How would he react? Raven knew that Robin was _very_ protective of her, even though he didn't have a good reason to be. Would he be upset with the kiss that Raven didn't ask for, or even _want_? Or would he just not care? Raven found herself wanting him to care. She wanted him to get angry and mad and snap at Roy, even punch him in the face. But she doubted any of that would happen. In fact, she doubted Robin was even upset.

"Likewise." Robin stepped through the doorway and into the night, the door closed shut behind him and Raven glanced up at her leader. Oh my. Raven found she had to remind herself to breathe, not only was his anger and frustration flowing off him in thick waves and nearly choking her, but he looked… _gorgeous_. There was no other way to describe it. Raven was never one to fawn over men, but Robin was down right beautiful in his pressed tuxedo. His hair was in its normal state of organized disarray, but it just made him look like a millionaire-bad-boy even more. Raven bit on her lip hard, wishing she could be anywhere but here, in the middle of this forced conversation. "I haven't seen you for almost a year, Roy, how've you been?"

"Good. Keeping busy." Roy's fingers reached out and threaded with Raven's. She tried to pull away, but her arms we're working quite right, and she let him hold her fingers awkwardly. She wanted to glare at him, but that meant she would have had to turn away from Robin, and the feminine part of her wouldn't allow that. Roy tugged on her hand a little. "Raven and I were just grabbing some fresh air. The crowd in there was too stuffy."

"Oh?" Robin looked down at Raven and frowned. She tried to glare up at him, but it was hard when he looked so pretty. Robin raised an eyebrow and turned back to Roy. "I saw you two rush through the foyer, so I was concerned something might be wrong. I thought Raven might be ill, _I_ know how she gets with so many people around."

Roy raised an eyebrow at the inflection, but didn't acknowledge it. "Oh, she was a little nervous, but she's fine now. Right, Rae?" He let her fingers go and Raven snapped her hand to her side, and glared at him. Exactly what was the twat doing? She was going to dislodge his head from his shoulders if he didn't stop this game quick. "In fact, we were just discussing what our first dance will be. I think a nice, sexy tango would be perfect."

Robin frowned and Raven could almost see the beginnings of a snarl. What was _he_ upset for? _He_ wasn't the one getting blackmailed, and by _Speedy_ of all people. "Oh? You two are dancing still? Hm, I thought that was just a crude way to get Raven in a dress." He looked Raven up and down, as if he were admiring a work of art. Color flooded her face and she looked away. He was not helping right now. "She's in a dress, I don't see why you still have to keep up your end of the bargain. Besides, I didn't think Raven danced."

"I don't." Raven found her voice and she stared at Robin, trying to look intimidating. She had the good feeling she looked about as intimidating as a small kitten right now, but at least she was trying. "Roy's just being an ass like usual. We aren't dancing, _ever_. And if you even think about grabbing my hand one more time, I swear I will hit you _so_ hard you'll be popping dents out of your skull for a week." She glared at Roy who, in his only act of logic, took a step away from her. Robin grinned as if he'd won a game, and that irritated Raven even more. "Wipe that smirk off your face, Robin, or I will do it for you. If you two want to stand there and pound on your chests all day, I don't care, but I promised Bruce I would help tonight. So, I'm going back inside."

"Awe, you're being mean today, Rae."

"Don't call me 'Rae', Roy." She rolled her eyes and started for the ballroom. "I'm leaving now."

"I need to talk to you." Robin grabbed her arm, his eyes darted to Roy. "In private. Very important Titan stuff."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He walked over to Raven and grinned. "I call your first dance, Raven, even if you kill me for it. Any time with you is time in heaven." He leaned down and kissed her cheek before rushing inside.

"Hey! You get back here! You… _twat_! Argh!" She tugged at her arm before turning and glaring up at Robin. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, and that made Raven only want to hit him more. "You, let go of me, or I will hurt you too!"

"I will let you go when you answer something for me."

Raven stopped struggling and stared at him, remind herself not to be fooled by his handsome face. "_What_?"

"I want to know what the hell that was all about."

"Roy being an ass." Raven started pulled at her arm again. "Will you just let me go so I can hit him!"

"You let him kiss you." Robin's words were soft, but they had the edge of steel. Raven glared up at him, trying to keep her heartbeat calm. What did it matter to him if she kissed another man? At least Roy _acknowledged_ he kissed her, Robin didn't even pretend as if the kiss had happened. He turned away from the action as if it was nothing more than a friendly hug. Roy at least treated her like a woman, not a friend. She huffed out a breath of air and turned away from him.

"What does it matter to you?" Raven snapped, still trying to tug her arm away. "You kissed me and then pretended like it didn't even happen! What in the hell do you think that did to me you… you… _tosser_!" Robin's fingers relaxed and he let her go. She turned and glared at Robin again, his face unreadable. "I swear, Robin. Sometimes you are so _stupid_, I stand here being… _me_ and you toss me around like some kind of toy. You treat me like someone special, but then you ignore me! You're going to get jealous because _Roy_, who is a known serial womanizer, managed to sneak a kiss in? You are so… _dumb_!" Raven pushed at his chest, and Robin took a step back, shocked.

"Raven, I…"

"You _what_, Robin? Don't you dare tell me that I'm that kind of friend to you, the one who constantly borders on love and friendship. Don't you dare tell me that what we have between us is special and shouldn't be complicated with 'love'. Don't you _dare_ say any of the lies in your head now. I just can't take them." She glanced into the ballroom, her shoulders slumping. "I'm going back inside to beat Roy, if you don't mind. We've got work to do and I don't want to talk about this right now. Or ever, for that matter."

"I didn't know."

"You shut up." Raven rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips, watching him as he fidgeted. "You knew, you just didn't want to admit it. It was too much of an inconvenience for you, and I'm not the kind of woman you pine after anyway. I don't bake pies and cookies and dote on you every second of the day."

Robin blinked and reeled back from her words. There was a long pause before he spoke, and the words weren't anything like Raven was expecting. She was expecting anger, frustration, denial, anything but… _humor._ "Exactly what do pies and cookies have to do with any of this?"

"Oh, shut up." Raven started for the door again, but Robin grabbed her arm again.

"We're going to talk about this later." A cold shiver ran down Raven's spine and she stared up into his dark eyes. His lips turned down in a frown and he pressed his nose close to hers. Raven tried to step away, but his fingers dug deeper into her arm. "You keep yourself so locked up behind mysteries and darkness, Raven, don't you dare tell _me_ I didn't _know_. Every time I tried to have you open up to me, you spun some other darkness and I got lost in tunnels and webs. But we _are going to talk about this_. So help me God, Raven, _we are_. And I will do everything in my power to make you open up to me." Robin's arm snaked behind her back and pulled her close. "I'm going to kiss you now. I'll be damned if you still have the taste of him on you."

Raven thought she was going to melt. Robin bent down and his lips brushed hers softly before passion slipped out and bathed her. A small whimper escaped and her fingers reached up and clung to the lapels of his tuxedo. His lips moved against her own and his tongue sought hers, twisting them together, drawing out another whimper. Raven's head tilted back and she let him brand her with kisses and wipe Roy from her mouth. Colors flashed behind her eyes and she wondered if her knees had given out yet. Robin bit down on her lower lip and tugged a little. He pulled away, licking his lips and smiling. "There. I can enjoy the rest of the night without worrying."

Raven tried to smile, but she found her lips unable to move. She just blinked up at him, waiting for the world to crumble beneath her feet. What had exactly just _happened_? In two minutes Robin had taken her from raving mad, to a melted puddle of warm Jell-o. Had Robin, in his own, weird Robin-ish way, just confessed his feelings to her? Did he kiss her because he was jealous? And if he _was_ jealous, did that mean he… _loved_ her? Raven's fingers trembled and she took a step away from him. Those were things she couldn't afford to think about right now. She had business, and dinner was going to be served any minute. But still… the thought was not unwelcome. After another minute of silence, Raven finally spoke. "We've got work to do."

Robin nodded and readjusted the lapels of his tuxedo. "We promised Bruce." There was a twinge of disappointment in him, and Raven cocked her head to the side, watching him smooth out any wrinkles they caused. Her heart still thudded against her ribs, and she was certain he could hear it, but she didn't care. Robin had just kind-of-admitted his feelings for her. And Raven wasn't sure what to make of them right now. But there was a delightful warmth that spread through her heart and into her stomach. He glanced up at her and frowned. "What?"

Raven jerked slightly and blushed. "Your tie is crooked. Come here." She stepped up and adjusted his tie, trying to hide her surprise from him. He reached out and pushed a few strands from her face before touching under her chin and bringing her eyes up to him. Raven couldn't hide her blush any more, and she had to find an emotion that wasn't new to her. She settled on annoyance. "What?"

Robin chuckled. "I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look tonight." He let his hand fall back to his side and offered his arm to her. Raven looked up at him and rolled her eyes before slipping her arm through his.

"Stop trying to butter me up."

"I'm not." Pause. "I didn't see this dress the other day did I?"

"No. Alfred brought it up this morning, why?"

Robin tried to pretend nonchalance, but his mixed emotions brushed against Raven's senses, and she stared up at him waiting for an answer. Just what was he getting at? He sighed and looked down at her, knowing he couldn't keep his emotions from her anymore than she could from him. "I was just thinking how nice you look in it. Although, I never pegged you for something backless."

Raven blushed. "It was a last resort to not dance with Roy." She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Although we can see how well _that_ worked out."

"No one is forcing you to dance with him, you know." Robin scowled and glanced down at her. "In fact, I'd prefer it if you didn't."

"Wouldn't we all?" They paused outside the ballroom door, and peered inside. The first of the guests were starting to filter in and sit at their designated tables. Raven could see Karen and Cyborg talking to one another as they made their way to the Titan table, which was somewhere near the dance floor. Raven let out a long sigh and she stared up at Robin, silently pleading with him. "Do we have to?"

"We promised." He opened the door and ushered her inside. "I'm not doing this alone. I need to you, Raven."

Raven didn't say anything else. She stepped inside and the swarm of emotions hit her like a lead weight on her chest. Her fingers dug into Robin's forearm, but she didn't dare look up at him. She took a long, deep breath, trying to keep her stomach from churning. This was too much for her. She pushed a stray piece of hair from her eyes and stared down at the floor, counting the steps from the balcony to the table. How was she supposed to learn anything if all these emotions were attacking her?

"You'll be fine." Robin pressed his mouth close to her ear, and his warm breath slid down her neck. Raven shivered and felt color flood her cheeks. He smelled good tonight. "I know you can do this. You're strong."

Raven managed a glance up at him, and he looked proud of her. She shook her head and pulled her arm out of his. "You're still trying to butter me up aren't you?" He looked sheepish and she rolled her eyes in response. "Well, I appreciate the effort at least." She cast him a coy glance and then went to Karen's side, leaving him alone in the middle of the empty dance floor.

"Hey, girl. I see Wonder Boy found you." Karen swirled the contents of her glass and cast a sidelong glance at Robin, who'd somehow gotten pinned by some reporter from Gotham Press. She was shoving a pad of paper into his chest and asking him some very animated questions. Raven chuckled alongside Karen, and she glanced up at her friend. "Well, at least he tried to find you. You know, he was searching high and low for you after you wandered off with Roy…?" The statement ended as a question and Raven blushed.

"Empath overload." Well, that was _kind of_ the truth. She wasn't sure if she could tell Karen the truth about why she had been so adamant to leave the party. She wasn't sure if Karen would be so forgiving to Raven for lying to Starfire. Hell, Raven wasn't even sure how forgiving she could be to herself. She sat down next to Karen, in front of the place mark labeled "Roy Harper". She rolled her eyes and switched the name tag with her own. If she was going to have to sit next to Roy at least she got to be close to Karen, the only other sane person at the table.

"Well, you've got a full night of Alfred-Approved festivities, so you better put on your big-girl panties and deal, because I am _not_ sitting through this alone." Karen took a sip of her drink and glanced at Raven through her thick lashes. The unspoken question hung in the air between them and Raven fought to keep the blush from her face. Karen flashed a sly smile before speaking. "So… Roy?"

"Oh, you hush." Raven crossed her arms over her chest and slumped further into her seat. "He kept talking until I had to promise him _something_ just to get him to shut up."

"And what was that promise?" Karen had to hold her glass in front of her lips to the wide grin that was spreading. Raven had half a mind to kick her in the shins. Anything would have been better than the snickers and giggles she was sure to get every time Roy got close to Raven. She glared at her friend before looking around for any sign of the red-headed menace. The coast was clear for now.

"You are asking for it tonight, Bee."

"I'm not the one off gallivanting with a copper-haired doofus." She shrugged and set her glass down. There was a short period of silence, and Raven knew that Karen was just reloading her ammo. Karen smirked at her friend. "Although… _Really_? _Roy_, Raven? I thought you had some kind of standard or something. Roy ranks high up there on my list of 'Men I Wouldn't Touch With a Ten-Foot Pole'."

"Karen." Raven raised an eyebrow and Karen stopped giggling, sensing the danger she had just put herself in. "I will personally tell Cyborg every juicy little detail of embarrassing information you have ever relayed to me if you do not hush your mouth right now."

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me."

Karen frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're no fun, Rae."

"You have no idea how 'un-fun' I can be." Raven sighed and leaned forward to lay her head on the table. If she kept her mind occupied, the emotions and sensations weren't so bad. But the moment there was a lull in the conversation, Raven felt her stomach start to churn and the headache start. She took a long, slow breath and looked over at Karen, who looked like she was about to burst with some kind of juicy information. Raven sat up and raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to tell me, Bee?"

"Beast Boy said he saw you kissing Roy… and then Robin." Her smirk appeared again, but was quickly replaced by a frown, undoubtedly from the lack of color in Raven's face. Raven tried to keep herself from looking like a deer in headlights, but there wasn't much she could do. The biggest blabber-mouth in the universe had just seen a side of Raven that she wanted to keep under the darkest covers. Oh yes, Beast Boy's life ended tonight. There was a long pause and Karen leaned forward. "Rae… did you… really? I thought BB was just being stupid and trying to start something… I didn't think…?"

"Think what?" Cyborg's deep voice made Raven jump and she stared up at him, glad for the interruption. At least his presence would have distracted Raven from the nasty truth, which had somehow spread like wildfire. Cyborg smiled at her and handed Karen another drink. Raven tried to return the smile, but it didn't really reach her lips, let along her eyes. "Well, there's my girl. I've missed you. How've you been? I haven't seen you and Wonder Boy for a few days now. Did everything… work out?"

"Wait." Karen held up her hand and stared at Raven. "_Days_? You've been with Robin for _days_?"

"I… er…" Raven glared up at Cyborg's suddenly retreating form. That stupid bastard. How come he got to sneak out when Karen was locked and loaded? Raven glanced back at her friend and blushed. "He needed a break and I wanted to… help." Oh good Goddess, this was not coming out right at all. What was she thinking? "I wanted to be there for moral support. He needed a friend to help him… this all sounds very contrived doesn't it?" Karen nodded. "Look, Bee… nothing happened. I just happened to find Robin in the middle of a total mental break down and I couldn't leave him alone. He needed someone to help him and I was there first. So I helped him. You can't blame me for that."

"No, I guess I can't." There was another long pause and Karen watched Robin try to escape the reporter with very little luck. She frowned and turned back to Raven, her eyes dark with curiosity. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why didn't he ask for Starfire? I mean, aren't they dating?"

"It's… complicated." That was the understatement of the year, and now this whole situation had just gotten a hell of a lot more complicated. Raven rubbed her forehead before managing a glance at her friend. "He didn't want Starfire to see him the way he was. It's hard to explain… it's like when you see a rope that's been used so much that it frays, but you still use it. And you keep using it and it keeps fraying until… until it just breaks. And I guess Robin just broke." That wasn't a complete lie, at least Raven could credit herself for that much.

"Well, that explains why Starfire's been so attached to Garth. And why they came to the party together." Karen tapped a finger on her chin, thinking.

Raven's mind stopped to a halt, and she stared at her. "What? Starfire's been with Garth this whole time?"

"Mm-hm. I guess they've been communicating for a while… I'd say a month or two at least." Karen shrugged, as if this was old news. "I thought her and Robin's relationship was on the rocks, but I didn't say anything. Not to anyone but Sparky over there, and he obviously didn't say a word to you." There was another pause and she cocked her head to the side. "I thought you would have figured it out first, Raven. You're the one with the power to read and interpret emotions."

"I guess… I guess I didn't notice." Raven stared down at her place mark and fidgeted with the card-stock. She took a deep breath and leaned back into the chair. "I guess I shouldn't feel all the guilty then."

Karen nearly spit out her drink. She managed a swallow and she stared at Raven, her mouth agape. Oh no. What can of worms did Raven just open up? "You _did_ kiss him? Or both of them? Or more? Good God, girl, what did you _do_?"

"Nothing!" Color flooded her face and Raven had to bury it in her hands. "I didn't do anything."

"You look _real_ convincing right now." Karen rolled her eyes and leaned back in her own chair, her eyes boring into Raven. "I want to know details, _now_."

"No!" Raven saw Robin point to Clark and usher the annoying reporter away from him. He shook his head and started for the two girls, a small smile on his face. Raven felt heat rush into her cheeks again and she glanced at Karen. "Please, not now… later… tomorrow morning. I will tell you what you want to know tomorrow morning, I just can't take this right now."

Karen let the proposition hang between them before she shook her head in defeat. "Pft. Fine. But I better get _all_ the details, and no skimping." She took another sip of her drink and frowned. At lease Raven managed to deter her inquisition for another night. That was just enough time to come up with some kind of believable story. Something Karen would enjoy but not question Raven about later. Whatever the hell that might be.

"Hey, sorry about that." Robin slid into the seat next to her. "That reporter can be a headache. I managed to pawn her off on Clark for a few minutes." He seemed impressed by his own ingenious and Raven forced herself to keep from hitting him. She hated it when he climbed up on his high horse.

"She looked enthralled to be within breathing distance of you." Karen grinned at him, and Robin chuckled. "It's been a long time, Wonder Boy, how've you been?"

"Fine. And you, Bee?"

"Oh, I'm good." Karen cast a sly glance, and Raven knew she was going to start something that shouldn't be started. She needed to find an escape route quickly, or she was sure to be in for a night of torture. Just what was Karen doing? "You know, my love life is fantastic, what about yours?"

Raven's mouth fell open and she stared at her friend. Did she just…? What was with her friends!? Were they all determined to derail her life tonight? She buried her face in her hands and tried to pretend she was anywhere but here. Anywhere but in the middle of a conversation about _love lives_. This was a nightmare. A goddess-forsaken nightmare.

Through her fingers, Raven could see that Robin didn't even let color touch his face. He just smiled slyly back at Karen and leaned back into the chair. "It's going just fine. Why do you ask?"

Karen swirled the contents of her glass and carried on the conversation as if they were discussing the weather. "I saw Star took Garth to the party tonight, so I was just curious."

"Oh, Star and I ended our relationship a few months ago. It was a mutual break."

"Oh?"

"She wanted to see other people, I was discovering a deeper interest somewhere else. We harbor no bad feelings against each other, we're still very good friends."

"Do you mind if I ask where this other interest is?"

"I'm getting a drink." Raven stood up abruptly and stared at Karen and then glared at Robin. She let the pause hang between them like a threat. "Don't talk about me while I'm gone." She turned and stepped toward the bar, trying to keep the emotions in her head down to a dull murmur. Sometimes it felt as if her best friends would turn out to be the worst friends at the same time. She rubbed her temples and stepped up to the bar. The boy behind it looked at her as if she had no business being here. She glared, heads were going to roll tonight, she could feel it. "I need something stiff and stat."

"Like?"

"A dirty martini."

"Make that two. You know, I never pegged you for a martini, least of all a dirty one." Roy's voice sounded behind her and he stepped up next to her. There was a long pause and he watched her for a few seconds before glancing back at their table. "I see you've managed to get away from Robin. I guess I lucked out, I don't have to sit next to him all night."

Raven turned and raised an eyebrow. "I switched our place cards. I'm sitting next to Karen if I have to kill you for it."

Roy laughed, but he didn't seem phased by the switch. He acted as if he would enjoy sitting next to the challenge. Raven had half a mind to kick him in the groin. "Well, I guess I'll take the battlefield this time, but only for you. And just this once."

"Gee, don't I feel special." There was a long period of silence and Raven glanced up at him. He was grinning down at her, and rolled her eyes and took her martini from the bartender and tipped him. "You leave me alone tonight, Roy."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll… I'll do something mean and very likely embarrassing."

Roy spread open his arms. "I'll be waiting."

Raven didn't say anything else to him and stormed off. She slid along the wall of the ballroom and ducked into now empty foyer. A few stragglers stared at her, and some older gentleman showed her a smile that made him want to punch him. She turned away and took a long deep breath, then a sip of her martini. Bruce came down the stairs and stared at her. Oh, good goddess, just what she needed, an angry grizzly. Raven stood up straight and felt color flood her face as he approached her. As massive as he was, Raven could see when Robin had inherited his good fashion sense. Bruce looked just as young and stunning as Robin did.

"Raven?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, and looked down into her eyes. Raven could feel the waved of concern flowing off him and she stared into his dark eyes. He frowned and shook his head, as if he were disappointed with himself. "I assumed this would be too much for your powers. I was hoping, but I shouldn't have put you at risk. You're on sensory overload aren't you?"

Raven blushed and managed to shake her head. "No, I just needed a break." She paused and tried to snatch on to some sensible words. "I'm fine as long as there is conversation… it's when there's a lull that my powers overload. I'll be fine, Bruce, I just needed a moment to recollect myself."

Bruce frowned as if that answer was unacceptable and she should be in bed resting herself from the overload of so many emotions. He shook his head and sighed, a ghost of a chuckle playing on his lips. He took a step away and stared down at her. "You are just as hard headed as Robin always said you were."

She frowned. "I don't know if I should take that as a compliment."

"You two are very much a like." Bruce adjusted his tuxedo and glanced in a mirror. He fiddled with the cuffs and then turned back to Raven. "Does it look alright?"

"You look fine, Bruce. I don't know why you're worried."

He shrugged. "Just making sure."

Raven managed a chuckled and she sat down in an empty chair, taking a deep breath. She was glad for the few minutes of silence, no matter how brief they were. The torrential storm of emotions swirling in the ballroom was enough to drive her mad, and her own emotions didn't help the situation at all. Just what had she done? There was a long pause as Bruce watched her for a few minutes. Finally he managed to break the silence. "Whatever happened out on the balcony is none of my concern, but I am warning you that Robin's heart is fragile when it comes to you. Just keep that in mind." Pause. "Come and join us when you can."

Raven felt color flood her face and she stared up at his massive retreating form. How fast did news travel anyway!?

)O(

_Well, there is chapter twelve. I promise something exciting will happen next chapter… at least I hope. We'll see! Tell me what you think and leave a review, I love to hear from you!_


	13. Chapter 13

**Honeythief  
**_Chapter Thirteen_

)O(

Robin watched Raven storm from the ballroom, face flushed with anger. The chandeliers overhead trembled with the dregs of her powers; she was going to break something if Robin didn't stop her. This whole thing was getting out of hand. He hadn't intended on completely uprooting everything he had built between him and Raven, it just seemed to be the after effect of his jealousy. And good god, did he have jealousy. Robin hadn't even realized how red his vision could get until he saw Roy sweet talking the one woman he regarded as more than a friend. It felt like Roy had his hands inside Robin's chest and was slowly breaking everyone of Robin's ribs.

Robin tried to pretend everything was all right. He even tried to listen to Karen talk about whatever it was she was talking about, something about fall colors and dresses, but then she mentioned Raven's dress and all bets were off. He couldn't take it much longer. Raven kept flickering in and out of his mind. Was she alright? Was she crying? Had Roy chased after Raven to comfort her? That thought was enough to make him hurl.

Robin stood up and said something polite to Karen, shutting her up, before retreating to the exit. He felt Karen's shocked eyes follow him, but didn't turn around. Let her think whatever she wanted, that was the least of his worries. Through the forest of people dressed in black and muted jewel-tones, Robin caught Roy's figure standing by the bar, chatting it up with some blonde. Stupid womanizing ginger better stay over there and as far away from Raven as possible, or Robin would not hesitate in ruining Alfred's party with an all-out fist fight. And blood and smashed furniture would be involved. Robin was itching for a fight tonight.

Bruce was walking into the ballroom and brushed passed him, snagging his arm. They stared at each other for a moment, as if silently communicating possible outcomes. Bruce blinked a few times and whispered, "Just be gentle with her." and let his arm go. Robin stared at his friend and benefactor with mild confusion. Color flooded his face and he hurried for the exit again. Did everyone seem to know something he didn't? Was _everyone _involved in his personal life? He managed slip out of the ballroom in time, barely missing the beginning of Bruce's god-awful speech he gave _every year_.

Robin rushed into the foyer and saw Raven sitting on the bottom steps of the staircase, fidgeting with her empty martini glass. She glanced up at him and frowned. Robin could feel the pulse of anger permeate the room as she continued to glare at him. He opened his mouth and tried to speak a few times, but nothing seemed to come out. He didn't really have any excuse for what he just did, but that seemed to be the least of his worries.

Raven stood up and walked to him, and Robin could feel her desire to hit him wash through the room in waves. He cringed and took a step back. He couldn't blame her; he had just basically admitted to all their friends that they now had a serious relationship. That there was something more that had happened in these past few weeks than just a break from crime-fighting. And Raven was too private a person to let anyone know what was going on with her sandwich, let alone her love life. She could have been married to Prince William and the whole world would have continued to turn unaware. Robin frowned at that thought, the only one she was ever going to marry was… he tried not to finish that statement, and color flooded his cheeks.

"Is it really necessary to just vocally admit to everyone within a five-mile radius that we might have something going on?" Her hands trembled with the effort of not hitting him, and Robin took another wise and cautious step back. Raven stepped forward and filled his space, before continuing on with her tirade. "Really, Robin? Really? I wasn't under the impression that there was anything between us but friendship and now Karen is probably blabbering our whole story to some trashy magazine."

Okay, that hurt. She had made such a passionate and valiant speech out there on the balcony that Robin was sure there was something more going on between them. Something better than camaraderie. Something that invaded his dreams at night. And now Raven was denying that anything happened. That she hadn't melted into his kiss, that a whole damn pyrotechnics team hadn't set off fireworks when they touched. What was _wrong_ with this girl? God help him for falling in love with an emotionally torn half-demoness.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take." Robin took a step forward so that their noses almost touched. He could feel her shock and anger, but she didn't move. Good. Let her think she had some ground, Robin was going to pull it out from under her feet anyway. "Make up your mind, Raven. Either you want something between us or you don't." He pointed to the outside. "You just spouted off a speech about how I don't know that you like me, about how you wanted something between us even though you're 'not my type', and now you say that there's _nothing_ between us? Either you want something or you don't. You can't jerk me around and expect me to figure it out."

There was a long silence and Robin could see her lips trembling with the effort to keep from screaming. She took a deep breath and forced herself to look at him. "Think whatever you want to think, Robin. I'm not having his conversation here. I've got work to do. " Raven pushed him away started for the ballroom, but Robin grabbed her arm. His fingers dug deep and he could see the look of mild pain on Raven's face, but something inside him didn't care. She yanked him around far too much for him to care. He was going to get straight answers out of her tonight if it was the last thing he did.

"That's it, Raven. Damn the party, we _are_ having this conversation right now or I swear I'll go insane by the end of the night." Without any other thought he yanked her down a side hallway. She struggled a little, but it was half-hearted and in shock. He walked until the noise from the ballroom had disappeared and there was the faint smell of expensive cigars. Robin threw open the door to the billiard room and shoved her inside. The dim lights seemed to avoid the dark corners in the room, and there was a slight smokiness that still hung in the air. He stood in the doorway and stared at her, she blinked up at him her mouth trying to form words. Robin took a step inside the room and closed the door with a final "thud" and "click" as he locked the room tight. "There. No one is here to bother us while we figure this… whatever it is, out."

Raven paled and she took a step back, her hand going to her chest. She was all spit and vinegar when she had the upper hand, but without the possibility of escape she was forced to deal with her emotions. Good or bad. And that thought obviously terrified her. Raven somehow managed to find her voice. "Now?"

"Now." Robin took a few steps forward and approached her until she was pinned against the table, eyes shimmering up at him. She looked like a trapped animal, and he could hear her sweet blood singing in her veins, her heart pounding against her ribs. She was scared. Good. "I can't think of a better time to discuss this than now, can you?"

"Yes!" Raven tried to step away, but Robin followed her steps, and she was stuck there against the billiard table. She shoved at his chest, but Robin didn't move and he just stared down at her. "Let me go! I don't have time for this."

"We have plenty of time for this. The party lasts almost six hours. You can share an hour with me."

"I promised Bruce." Her excuses were starting to sound feeble.

"So did I." Robin stood up straight, and watched her shock. She pushed at him again, but Robin still didn't budge, and she resorted to glaring at him. "Let me go."

"No. I can't take this any more." Robin took a small step back, giving her room to breathe but not room to escape. Her lips trembled and she stared up at him, eyes wide with shock. "I just want a straight, real answer. Every time you get backed into a different corner you give me a different answer, a different scenario. Sometimes I get the feeling that you want more from me than friendship, and sometimes I get the feeling you don't even want to be my friend. What is it?" He fought the urge to shake sense into her. "I want to give you what you want, Raven. I just need to know what it is."

Robin let the question hang, and Raven fidgeted. She rubbed her arms and looked away, as if ashamed with herself. Robin could feel her guarding her emotions, trying to keep him from figuring her out. Even when he had backed her into an impossible corner, she _still_ kept everything from him. Robin sighed and tried a different tactic. He reached out and snagged her fingers with his hand. If being nice didn't help, nothing would at this point. "Raven… I'm not asking you for the world. I just… need to know the truth. I can't stand here straddling emotions and waiting for divine intervention."

Raven cringed and pulled her hand back as if she'd been hurt. There was another long period of silence and she looked away. Robin felt his heart nearly stop. Was that it? Was she just jerking him around because she could? His heart turned heavy and it fell into his stomach. He really didn't think it would have ended this way between him and Raven. They were best friends, close friends, who shared more than just camaraderie. At least, that was what Robin had always thought. Now he was beginning to doubt even that.

Robin took another step away from her, his head hanging. "Look, if this is the truth, and this mess of emotions is all we have between us, then fine. But at least let me know that. I'm standing here on the edge of the cliff waiting to jump as soon as you say the word."

Color flushed Raven's face and she turned away from him again. "I… I don't know if I can give you the truth… I don't want to damage what we have between us. We've always been good friends, best friends even. I don't want to tear down the walls we've built only to find something terrible on the other side. Something that destroys everything we have."

Robin's heart had somehow found its way back into his chest and began pounding against his ribs. Was she suggesting…? His thoughts strayed into that possibility and it took a few more seconds before Robin found his voice again. "But what if it's something beautiful?"

Raven didn't know what to say to that, and she looked away. Another silence followed before she spoke again, her face still hidden by her hair. "What if we're wrong about everything and we destroy what we have? Everything that we know to be solid in our lives? I don't know if I can gamble on that."

"I can." Robin took a step closer and put his fingers under her chin. Her face automatically turned to him, and Robin could see the emotions spiraling inside her. She was scared. More than scared, she was terrified of what this conversation would do to their carefully built friendship. This friendship that had been compartmentalized so none of the emotions touched. He wanted to rip out the walls and see what the emotions would do when they were mixed. "I want to gamble on that. I don't want you to feel like everything is going to be destroyed because we have feelings for each other. I want you to trust what we have between us, instead of quarantining it off because it's different and unusual." Robin let his thumb feather across her lips. "I want this because, well… Raven… I…"

The words wouldn't come out, no matter how hard he tried to say them. He fought with his own fears and emotions, but the words stayed locked inside his chest. And so Robin did the only thing he knew he could do, he kissed her again. And it was just as passionate and earth-shattering as the last time. He felt his heart nearly explode out of his chest and he didn't want to stop. She clung to him and made soft, little mewing sounds that tore down all of his defenses. The scent of lavender and the taste of plums overwhelmed him and he pulled her close. Her fingers wound themselves in his hair, and she pulled him even closer. Robin's fingers traced the smooth, exposed skin on her back, earning an appreciative moan.

"Disgusting."

Robin and Raven stopped immediately and stared at each other, then to a cabinet in the corner. No. No no no nononononono! This could _not _have happened. Not now. Now when Robin had Raven wrapped up in his arms. Not when Robin was so close to finally tying up all the loose ends. He growled low in his throat and let Raven's small frame go with reluctance. Raven raised an eyebrow as he tip-toed to the cabinet in the corner. Silence. Robin touched the handle and threw open the door. A small body rolled out onto the wood floor, grumbling obscenities. His was expecting anything but this. He wouldn't have been surprised if Beast Boy was hiding out and spying on them, but a grumpy midget he _did not_ expect at all.

"You little twerp!" Raven stepped forward and grabbed Gizmo with her black energy. He struggled against the restraints, but Raven held strong, her lips turned down in a frown. Robin rarely saw that look of mean determination in her eyes, but when he did it scared him. He took a small step away from her, heaven help him if he got caught in the crossfire. "What are you doing here?"

"None of your damn business, snot-nose demon!" Gizmo struggled against the restraint and glared at the couple. "At least I wasn't sucking face in a dark corner. You two should get a room and spare the rest of the world. Bleh!"

Raven's eyes flashed red and she turned him upside down. She gave Gizmo a good shake and a few nuts and bolts fell to the floor. Robin took another step back, before she started sprouting horns and spitting fire. "You shouldn't be here! What are you _doing_, Gizmo! If you don't give me an answer in ten seconds I swear I will banish you to another dimension and _leave you there._" Robin didn't doubt that.

"I told you, it's none of your _damn_ business! Put me down or I swear I'll…" He tried to get to one of his gadgets, but his hands were bound tight. He growled at Raven, but she wasn't phased in the least. She just stared up at him, eyes glowing red.

"Or _what_, Gizmo? You're not exactly in the best position to start making threats."

Gizmo opened his mouth to say something rude, but all hell broke loose at the same second. The radio on his back crackled to life and Robin heard the one voice he never wanted to hear ever again. Jinx.

"Gizmo! I'm in the ballroom, are you headed down into the safe?"

_Both _of them were here. Gizmo and Jinx. Robin glanced over at Raven and he could see lines of strain webbing across her face. It must have taken all of Raven's concentration to keep Gizmo held up in the air and bound. Robin could feel and smell the anger flare up inside her and knew she really wanted to toss him to the ground and chase after the pink-haired wench. He didn't blame her. He wanted to chase after the stupid girl himself.

"The safe!" Robin glared at Gizmo, fighting to keep his own anger in check. His finger's itched to reach out and strangle his tiny, fat neck. Stupid boy was making his life ten-times more difficult than it was already. Like being a vampire wasn't hard enough. "So, it _is_ you stealing technology from everyone in Gotham! I should have figured as much."

"No! And I almost pegged you for someone smart." He stuck out his tongue and rolled his eyes. Raven gave him a shake and he said something crass and rude to her. "Who else could have snuck into Bruce's magical and exclusive party he throws, _every year_. Not some butthead dorks like you." There was a moment of silence, as if something clicked in his head. Gizmo stared at the couple. "Speaking of which, why _is_ the stupid demon here anyway? I didn't think you were interesting enough to hang out with trailer-trash, let alone someone like _Bruce,_ and his precious little Richard."

Raven paled and she lost enough concentration to let him drop a few inches. Robin felt heat creep up into his face and he took another step back. This was bad. Very bad. He was going to figure this out a lot quicker then most people would. Stupid boy-genius. Raven opened her mouth to say something, but was cut short by the crackle of Gizmo's radio.

"Gizmo, are you in?" Jinx's high-pitched voice called out over the static from the radio. Robin saw Raven tense again and he frowned. Raven wasn't taking this well, not that he blamed her. Jinx called out again. "Come in, Gizmo. Are you there?" She sighed. "Gizmo, if this is a sick joke, I swear I'll beat you so hard you'll shrink another inch."

Raven and Robin stared at each other, waiting for a decision to be made. Robin shook his head and motioned for the door. "Go on, Raven. I'll take the midget, you get Jinx."

"I am _not_ a midget!"

Raven pretended not to hear him and nodded in agreement. She picked up her skirt and started for the door. Robin watched her go with a bubble of pride in his chest. That was _his_ little demon, always ready to jump into the fire. Her fingers paused on the handle and she turned back to him, a frown on her lips. "Will you…"

"I'll be fine, Raven. Go get Jinx!"

Raven let Gizmo drop and she threw open the door and ran into the hallway. When the sound of her heels clicked into the distance, Robin turned to glare at the boy who was crawling to his feet. Gizmo glared back and adjusted his massive pack of techno-gear. Robin crossed his arms over his chest. "You're a pain in the ass."

"Pft. So are you." Gizmo snapped his goggles over his eyes and glared at him. "Well, at least I'm not the one falling in love with a demon, so I must smarter than you!" Robin reached forward to grab him and knock some sense into him, but Gizmo jumped out of the way and shot a rocket at him. Robin managed to roll out of the way, but he could hear the crack of fine wood behind him. Robin cringed at the sound. God damn it. Bruce was going to be pissed over the antique billiard table getting smashed. The grumpy midget was going to get one healthy beating tonight.

"You're slow." Gizmo shot out the open door and raced down the hallway, and his rockets left the pungent scent of sulfur in their wake. Robin was sure he would be smelling that odor for weeks. He let out a low grown and chased after him, that little menace better not go into the ballroom, otherwise Robin would have a bigger mess on his hands. Like a being a vampire, destroying his benefactors house, and munching on his best friend (possibly girlfriend) wasn't enough, let's add ruining Alfred's party and exposing all the heroes sitting in the ballroom to the list. Robin followed him down the hall and into the foyer.

"I swear I'm going to rip the pigtails from your head you little snot!" A smile almost touched his face when he heard the spit and vinegar from Raven's lips. He turned the corner into the foyer and saw the pink-haired menace being followed by his little demon. Her skirt had been gathered in her hands and she had kicked off her shoes for speed. "You get back here, Jinx! I am not done with you yet and I'm going to wipe that smile from your face before the night is through!"

Jinx was about to same something rude, but she stopped as soon as she saw Robin. She paused near the stairs, her face flushed and her scent weaving through the room. Robin frowned and his nose wrinkled. She didn't smell quite so clean and fresh as she had two weeks ago. Now, Jinx smelled sickly sweet, like rotting flesh on a hot day. Robin felt his stomach churn as Jinx started toward him. He took a small step back, surprised that he felt no desire to even look at her anymore. There was no need to jump her and sink his fangs into her neck. What had happened to him?

"OH, NO YOU DON'T!" Raven ran full speed into Jinx and tackled her into the staircase. The two of them went down in tangle of black, pink, and purple. Jinx yelled out something crass and loud. Raven snarled something back as she yanked at Jinx's hair smashing her head down with a hard "thunk". Jinx just growled up at her and shoved Raven off, making her tumble down four stairs to the foyer floor. Raven glared at Jinx as she scrambled to her feet.

"Get off me, you stupid demon! You smell like dirt!" Jinx kicked Raven's shoulder and started for the door, her heels snapping against the marble. Gizmo, shouting off obscenities, chased after her. Raven wasn't far behind, she hitched up her skirt again and tore after them into the main drive. Robin stood in the hallway and blinked as he fought back laughter. Did he really just see what he thought he saw?

"Did I just see…?" Cyborg's voice brought Robin back to the present. He saw Karen and Cyborg standing there as if they'd just witnessed an entire circus. Cyborg blinked a few times and let the ballroom door close, the faint sound of undisturbed conversation and music filtered into the now empty hall. Robin breathed a sigh of relief, he was safe for now. As long as they could get this taken care of as quietly and discreetly as possible, there was a chance that the world would never know that a Battle Royale was about to take place in Bruce's driveway.

"Yes. You just saw exactly what you thought you saw." Robin peeled off his tuxedo jacket and rolled up his crisp, white sleeves. "And if I know anything right now, there's a possibility Gizmo has some very expensive and very _stolen _technology on him, and Jinx is about two more comments from death. I think this is probably a good time for us to go check on our friend."

Karen shook her head. "Good God, girl. What have you gotten yourself into?"

"That's Raven for you." Cyborg rolled his eyes as they started for the door. "She'll find trouble no matter what."

Robin refused to comment as he threw open the main entry door and into the drive. In the distance he saw sparks of pink and black clash in sync with movements from his friend and Jinx. Robin tore down the steps and into the drive, feeling Cyborg and Karen close behind him. Thank God for their support, he was going to need it after this fight. Raven was going to be spitting mad. Robin slowed down as he approached Gizmo, who was just standing there, watching the fight with shocked eyes.

"I've never seen Jinx like this…" Gizmo glanced up at Robin and shook his head. "She's _pissed._" Raven yelled out a very rude comment to Jinx and threw black energy at her, but she dodged it easily and threw a spell back at her. Raven managed to roll out of the way. She got to her feet, growled, and launched herself at Jinx. "This is pretty amusing. I wonder what's got the snot-faced demon all riled up?"

Karen smacked him upside the head. "That's none of your damn business."

"Ow! Where'd the hell you come from?" Gizmo rubbed the back of his head.

Robin glared at him and crossed his arms over his chest. "What did you steal, Gizmo?"

"I didn't get anything, puke-breath! Your stupid make-out session stuck me in that cabinet, so shut up!" Gizmo took a step back, but he ran into Cyborg's body. He stood there and swore for a few moments before he twisted his neck to look up at Cybrog, growling. "You cheaters, ganging up on a little boy."

"You're a menace is what you are, Gizmo." Robin yanked his pouch off his back and rifled through it. Nothing but explosives and wires. He was telling the truth, for once, he hadn't managed to get his grubby little hands on anything belonging to Bruce. Robin let out a breath of relief. One less thing to worry about… now, Raven on the other hand… Robin turned back to the fight taking place on the grass.

"Should we help them?" Karen blinked up at Robin.

"Hell if I know." Robin shrugged.

"Do _you_ want to get caught in the middle of that?" Cyborg looked down at the two of them, and Robin and Karen shook their heads as they watched the brutal display of violence and possession. Jinx threw another spell at Raven who dodged it and threw one right back.

"No."

"You are pissing me off!" Raven kicked Jinx's feet out from under her, and she went down like a sack of bricks. Jinx cradled her wrist, which looked like it was sprained, and shot another spell up at her. Raven dodged this one with more difficulty, her left ankle was starting to swell up, but she still managed to get a kick in before Jinx scrambled to her feet. Jinx reached out and snagged the pearl strand around Raven's neck and tugged. Pale, white pearls scattered to the ground like snow. "You aren't even the same species! What makes you think you can keep him, Raven! He's a vampire, and you're nothing more than a pathetic excuse for a demon let alone anything else."

"You're one to talk." Raven growled and went for her throat. Her nails managed to connect with Jinx's bare shoulder, leaving bloodied gouges. Jinx cried out and stumbled backwards a little, but Raven chased her down, refusing to give up. "At least I'm not the one breaking laws because I'm too pathetic to find a mate on my own. You can't even attract a male."

Jinx snarled at her and grabbed a handful of her hair. Raven cried out and punched Jinx in the stomach, she doubled over but refused to let go of Raven's hair. "You stupid low-life! You don't even have the right to those powers! You're just a bastard child pretending to be something powerful."

"SHUT UP!" Raven screamed and threw her shoulder into Jinx's chest. There was a sickening crack as her shoulder connected with Jinx's sternum, and this time she let go of Raven's hair, stepping back. Raven pushed her hair out of her face and growled. "You keep your mouth shut about my family. At least I had one and wasn't _made_." Jinx's face turned red with anger and threw another spell at Raven. But Raven was tired, and her left ankle had swollen to the size of a softball. She just couldn't manage to dodge this one, and it hit her square in the chest.

Raven teetered on her bad ankle for a second.

The world stopped moving.

Robin barely remembered what happened next. He saw Raven cough, blood spilling from the edges of her lips, and then she was down. Robin yelled out something unintelligible as a collective gasp was heard from his friends behind him. He rushed to her side. Blood spilled out of a gaping wound in her stomach and she lay there, blinking up at him. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Her hands were cold and clammy, and her eyes lost their beautiful glow.

She was dying.

Panic sunk into Robin's veins and he grabbed her head as gentle as he could. Where was her blue glow? Where was the familiar surge of power when she healed herself? Robin felt his breath catch in his lungs and he stared down at her pale, bloodied body. The realization hit him like a punch to his face. "You're not healing."

"No… I'm not." She tried to move her hand into Robin's, but it didn't quite make it. She stared at her fingers for a second, as if contemplating something. "I think… I think I needed more time to regain my strength. I think… I made a bad decision." She took a deep, ragged breath and cringed. "It hurts."

"Shh." Robin moved to cradle her head in his lap. Blood seeped out and soaked his designer clothes, but he didn't care. He couldn't care. Raven was a red mess in his arms, and her life was fading quickly. "Shh, Rae. Just lay still. You'll be fine, I promise. I won't let anything happen to you." The words felt like a poisonous lie in his mouth. How? How in the world could she be fine after _this_. Half of her midsection was missing! He kissed her lips and blood touched his own, but this time it didn't taste sweet. It tasted dark and sick, like death.

Raven snapped his thumb with her fingers. "You know, I wouldn't blame you."

"Blame me for what?"

"If you turned me. I wouldn't blame you." Her eyes blinked up at him, looking dull and lifeless. "I would have done the same thing."

"I can't do that to you, Raven."

"That's your choice. I'm content to die or live. Whatever happens, it happened for a reason."

"You're not going to die!" Robin felt tears prick his eyes. This couldn't happen, not now! Not when thirty minutes ago they were on the verge of building a life together. Not when he'd finally found a light at the end of this dark cave. Raven had been in his arms, kissing him, nearly loving him. "Hush!"

"Mmm… you're so warm…"

Robin stood there looking at two roads, both leading to a similar place. He could hear Raven's heart begin to slow, her organs shut down… "I'm so sorry, Raven… please forgive me." Without another thought, he sunk his teeth into his own wrist and pulled. The pain was excruciating, and what little blood was left in his system spilled out and into her wound. Robin sat there, feeling his energy drain, feeling everything start to turn black. His friends were yelling at him, shouting at him, but he couldn't make out the words. He didn't care.

Raven was safe now.

Sort of.

)O(

_Well, there's Chapter Thirteen. It ended up a little quicker and more brutal than I was expecting. Let me know what you think, I love to hear from you!_


	14. Chapter 14

**Honeythief  
**_Chapter Fourteen_

)O(

Raven woke up to bright lights overhead and a steady, low beeping next to her right ear. She lay with her eyes closed, trying to make sense of her surroundings. The sheets under her felt crisp and itchy, and the pillow supporting her head was as flat and hard as a board. She tried to move, but her body felt heavy and unusual, as if her limbs were filled with molasses. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times before her vision focused. Pristine, white walls enclosed her like an ethereal coffin, void of any windows of art work. There was a clean, empty bed and IV unit next to her. She was in Bruce's medical ward.

"You're awake."

Raven's body jumped out of surprise, but her joints creaked and groaned in response. Everything inside her felt foreign, as if it belonged to someone, or _something_ else. She slowly turned her head and stared at the man in the corner. Bruce's dark hair fell over his eyes as he stared at a few sheets of paper attached to a clipboard. He glanced up at her, and then returned to the papers in front of him. "I'm glad to see you're awake. We were worried for a while."

We? Raven swallowed hard, as the memories came rushing back to her in a flood of sounds and brutal images. Foul words and blood. The fight. She had a massive fight with Jinx, yelling and screaming in complete bloodlust. Her shoulder was sore where she had shoved her weight into Jinx's chest. Raven had broken Jinx's sternum, but Jinx had nearly killed her.

Raven remembered Jinx's powerful spell, ripping across her stomach as if Jinx had her claws in Raven's side and was pulling out every organ. The pain had made her collapse into a heap of nothingness. Raven overestimated the strength of her powers, and she nearly died from the mistake. Taking a slow, steady breath, she pulled the blanket down and pushed up the medical gown. A huge scar webbed across her left hip and most of her stomach. Raw and red pointed arms reached out across her alabaster skin, looking like a strange, macabre sun. She traced the pattern gingerly, feeling a few pins of pain shoot through her. Raven looked over at Bruce, whose lips were turned down in a frown. "What happened?"

He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "You got into a brutal fight with an angry, possessive vampire."

Raven tried to sigh, but it came out as a strange wheezing noise and her bones creaked again from the movement. She watched as he moved around the room to check her vitals. There was another moment of silence before Raven managed to ask him again. "I mean, what happened after I was left for dead. Did we catch Gizmo and Jinx? Did we make… a scene?"

"_I_ did nothing, the Titans caught both Jinx and Gizmo quickly and very discreetly. The guests were completely unaware of any disturbance and the party went on as planed… save for the absence of a whole table of young adults." Pause. "Was that what you're concerned with?" Bruce looked down at her as she managed a small nod. He tapped the IV tube going into her arm, and made sure everything was well with her. "You, however, did a fine number on Jinx, so catching her was not exactly a challenge for the others." He glanced down at her again, and she continued to watch him. "She's currently being held in Arkham under strict and close observation."

"Is there the chance for her to escape?"

Bruce smiled, but it was strained and didn't quite reach his eyes. "Raven, you know as well as I do that there is always that chance. She escaped an alternate dimension you put her in, I doubt the walls of Arkham will keep her for much longer than the time it takes for her wounds to heal. But it's worth a shot."

Raven frowned. She had nearly given her life for a pink-headed brat to still escape? What kind of sick, twisted karma was that? She glanced up at Bruce again. "And Gizmo?"

"At Jump Penitentiary. Plus we've managed to recover almost everything he stole, which was a lot more than I expected. We were missing a few microchips here and there, but everything else was returned to its rightful place." Bruce scribbled something down on the papers he was holding. He looked down at Raven and smiled again, this time it managed to reach his eyes. "You did good work, Raven."

"Mm… Thank you…" Raven didn't feel like she had done _anything_ good. She had nearly killed herself, and almost exposed all of her friends for what they really were, and all because she had a jealous streak inside her. She got lucky, that was all. Bruce started to shuffle around the room again, and Raven stared down at the scar on her stomach, tracing its pattern again through the thin cotton of the gown. "What happened to me? I… should have died. I shouldn't be here right now."

Bruce blinked a few times, as if the question made him uncomfortable. He let silence be his answer as he started for the door. In the quiet, Raven found the answer she was looking for, but she didn't want to think about it. Her world had changed so quickly, she wasn't sure if she could take any more news. Bruce paused and looked back at her, eyes still sad. "I'm not the person you should ask, Raven." He stepped outside the room, and Raven could hear hushed whispers in the hall.

Robin.

His familiar tone soothed her nerves if only for a few minutes. He was asking how she was doing and if he could see her. Raven's heart fluttered against her ribs at the thought of seeing him. It suddenly felt as if everything had changed over night. Whatever had been between them before last night was the past, and there was no going back to what was before. Robin saved her. Color flooded her face as she thought about what he did to keep her alive and on earth. She told him that she wouldn't blame him, and she couldn't. If Robin had been dying in her lap, she would have given her soul to keep him alive.

The door swung open slowly, and Robin poked his head inside the room. They stared at each other for a moment before Raven flushed bright red and pulled the sheet up to her chin. She swallowed hard as he stepped inside the room and closed the door. He was a vampire. She could tell that not only by just looking at him, but also from the fantastic scent he exuded. He smelled like cinnamon and anise on a cold night. She felt her temperature rise another degree and Raven pulled the blanket over her nose to hide her blush. She could see why Robin had been so _handsy_ when they met. It took all her effort not to jump out of her bed and rub her body up and down his, wallowing in his scent.

"How are you feeling?"

Raven watched as he slowly worked his way over to her bed. "Better."

Robin sat down next to her and Raven breathed in deep, knowing there was nothing more than a few thin pieces of cotton between the two of them. Her stomach churned slightly and her skin became _hot_, as if everything burned it. The sheets scratched against her sensitive skin, and she shifted uncomfortably looking down into her lap. Silence enfolded them again, and Raven listened to the steady beat of his heart. There was blood in his system, a lot of it. He had fed earlier that day… but by whom? A spitfire of jealousy roared to life in her chest and Raven fought to keep herself cool. What was wrong with her? She never acted this way before.

Robin looked up at her, his eyes sad and heavy. "I'm sorry, Raven… for what I did." He took a slow, shaky breath and ran his hands through his hair. Raven watched him, carefully examining his face. He was tired, exhausted actually. It looked as if he hadn't slept in a few days, and spent his nights worrying about her. "I didn't have any right to condemn you the way I did. I should have had more hope in saving you, Raven… I acted foolishly, and now you have to live with the penalties."

"Hope in saving me… Robin my entire left side was demolished. There was no hope in saving me, there was only death." Raven glanced up at him, before looking away. It almost hurt to look at his beautiful face. "Would you would have rather let me die?"

Robin frowned and glared at her. His anger rose and Raven could smell the spiciness in the air, and she got the strange urge to push his buttons some more just so she could keep enjoying his fragrance. "No, and you know that. But what you are now is…"

"Is not much different than what I was before." Raven pulled the sheet back down to her chin and regretted the action. It was easier to enjoy him with her nose covered, now all she wanted to do was nibble on his neck. She tried to look him in the eyes, but her gaze didn't quite make it. "A demon is just one step away from being a vampire."

"But it's a step you shouldn't have had to take."

"The other step was death, Robin."

Silence. Raven glanced up just as Robin turned away, hiding his sheepishness. "I'm trying not to think about nearly losing you, Raven. I'm trying not to think about what could have happened if I was one minute too late."

"But you weren't." Raven pulled the sheet down to her waist and reached out to grab his hand. Robin looked down at their intertwined fingers and then into her eyes, shock lining his expression. Raven didn't try to hide her blush this time. "You saved me. I'm here now because of you and what you did. I'm eternally grateful for everything you gave me."

Robin didn't know what to say, instead he leaned down, closing the distance between them. Raven let her eyes flutter closed as his breath touched her lips. A taste, that was all she wanted. Just a taste of cinnamon.

"Oh?"

Robin pulled away abruptly and crimson washed across Raven's face. She blinked several times as she stared into several pairs of eyes all staring at her from the doorway. Beast Boy snickered and Raven had half a mind to throw her rock-hard pillow at him. She looked up at Robin, whose lips were mere inches from her own. He let out a long sigh and pulled away a little more, before turning around to face their friends. "She's doing well. Much better than yesterday."

Roy raised an eyebrow and cocked a hip to the side. "Well, we can see you were testing that."

"Shut up, Speed." Karen smacked him upside the head and rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous."

"Because Robin gets to make out with a smoking hot _vampire_?" Roy turned to Karen and rolled his eyes. "Duh!"

Raven's face flushed a deeper red and she glanced up at Robin. He looked down into her eyes and he nodded in response. "They know. They found me spilling blood into your body, there's not really a lie you can make up for that one. So, I had to tell them something, I figured the truth was the best option at this point."

Raven raised an incredulous eyebrow. "From the mouth of the boy who was doing everything in his power not to avoid telling the truth." She rolled her eyes and shook her head as he frowned at her. "So… we're… okay? To go on like we are? No sneaking around Jump and avoiding the tower?"

"For now." Robin flashed his teeth in a very wolfish grin, and Raven's stomach twisted at the implied thought.

Cyborg pushed the ginger aside and stepped next to the bed. Raven caught the scent of motor oil and axel grease, it wasn't unpleasant. It actually soothed her and brought her back to the times she helped Cyborg with his precious car. He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her. "I'm so glad to see you're better, Raven. You had me seriously worried for a while."

"All of us were." Starfire walked over to the empty space on her right-hand side, and Raven felt her calm and understanding wash over her. Raven stared up at her friend. "Your safety was our biggest concern. We have been 'pitching the tent' outside your door the whole time." Raven paled at the expression, but Roy snickered under his breath.

"You are terrible, Roy!" Karen smacked him again, harder this time. He cringed at took a step away from her.

"I thought you would be… mad at me, for lying to you, Star." Raven cringed as she nodded.

"I was. I was mad at both of you, for not telling the truth. You both avoided your biggest asset, your friends."

Everyone smiled down at her and she blushed in response, pulling the sheet over her nose again. She didn't deserve to have friends like this, she barely deserved to have friends at all. Yet, here they were outside her door as she struggled and fought for life, as she turned into the dark corners of legends. It was hard to keep her smile from peeling across her lips. Robin reached out and brushed hair away from her face.

Raven blushed again and glanced up at Cyborg, who took the hint and cleared his throat as he a step back from her bed. "Well, we just wanted to make sure you were doing better, Raven. We were all actually going to head back home and let you get your rest." He cast a side-long glance at Robin, whose face flared red instantly. "Robin has requested another week off duty before you two come home. That's fine with me as long as it's fine with you."

"Oh… alright, I guess." Raven couldn't imagine what Robin would need with another week off. Everyone knew that he was a vampire, as they all seemed willing to work with both him and her as they struggled with this new body. She didn't like being away from her home and her friends. She gave a short sigh and tried to look up at Robin, but he was avoiding her eyes. That was not a good sign. Raven's heart fell into her stomach and beat furiously. What did he have planned?

She forced a bright smile as everyone hugged her good by and wished her well. Starfire gave her an extra long hug and kissed her cheek. Raven glared, but she was unfazed. Cyborg exchanged a few hushed words with Robin, staying just out of Raven's earshot. A few minutes of good-byes and as soon as they had entered, they left again. The room felt enormous and empty as Raven watched the door close. She blinked a few times before turning to look at Robin. "It's good that they know…"

"Yeah, I guess…"He watched the door before sitting down next to Raven again. He pushed hair out of her eyes, and let his touch linger against her skin. Raven sighed and leaned into is touch, even his _skin _felt amazing. Robin kissed her forehead before continuing. "It was hard… telling them the truth. Especially since I fought so hard to keep the truth from them this whole time. I felt like I betrayed them."

"You did." Raven watched at he glared at her. "But it wasn't without grounds. You were scared of what they would have thought of you, and you were worried they wouldn't accept you. They understood those fears, that's what's important." Robin muttered a response and Raven let her head fall back onto her pillow. There were a few minutes of silence. "Am I getting out of this thing soon?"

"Yes." There was a pause as he nodded. "You're going to be hungry in a few hours." He looked away quickly, trying to hide his guilt.

Raven's face burned bright red again. "Oh." She glanced up at him and frowned as the reminder of her jealousy came back in full force. "I can tell you fed. By whom?"

Robin laughed, but Raven was having trouble finding the humor over her jealousy. He smiled down at her, and Raven had to remind herself that he was in trouble if he drank from another woman. His good looks wouldn't save him from everything. "Do you want the truth or a lie?"

Raven glared. "What do you think?"

"Truth, I imagine." Pause. "_You_ fed me, actually… Bruce offered to help, but Cyborg reminded me of the few pints we brought over from the tower… and your taste was the only thing I wanted." Robin leaned close to her neck and ran his tongue over her pulse. Raven could hear the moan escape her lips before she had a chance to stop it. He scraped his teeth against her skin gently and the beeping over her right ear increased as Raven's heart picked up speed. "It was actually quite delicious, if you're wondering."

"You're… not helping." Raven was ashamed her hear herself panting.

"I know." Robin pulled away and looked down at her, grinning. She reached out to hit him, but he stepped out of the way, laughing. He snatched her arm and his fingers down her skin to shackle her wrist. "I enjoy making you squirm underneath my touch." Raven continued to glare up at him as he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingertips. He nibbled on her thumb, watching her. The heart monitor picked up speed again. "I can see you enjoy it too."

"You, shut up and let me go before I hurt you." Raven tried to snatch her hand away, but Robin refused to let her go. He leaned in and pressed an innocent kiss to the corner of her mouth, before biting down on her lower lip and tugging. Raven pulled away and frowned up at him. Robin just laughed, which only irritated her more.

"Don't give me that look, Raven… we're vacationing together for the next week, you might as well get used to the idea that I'm probably going to be doing this the whole time we're together." Robin returned her hand to her, obviously smiling at her shocked expression. So _that_ was why he asked for another week off? A vacation? Hadn't they already taken enough time off? Raven blinked a few times before she managed a response.

"_We_? Where are _we_ going?"

"Well…" Robin paused as he gave the question some thought. "Originally I had planned to stay at Bruce's cabin in the mountains, I thought you might enjoy the quiet peacefulness, but I guess we can go wherever you want… Paris? New York? Fiji? Do you want to go to Tokyo again? I thought you liked it last time."

"We were fighting a giant Ink Monster… I'll pass on Tokyo, lest I have to relive _that_ ordeal again." She looked at him, suspicious. He never took a vacation, _ever_. He frowned at the thought whenever anyone brought it up. Heroes, didn't get vacations, they got moments of rest. Raven cocked her head to the side, watching him. "So what's the vacation for?"

The air turned thick as emotions changed, and Robin didn't even try to hide the guilt on his face. His joking smile vanished and he watched her for a few, silent moments. His onyx eyes bore into her until Raven felt he was staring right down into her soul. She knew what he was going to say and she was powerless to stop it, even though she knew how it would effect their relationship, herself, and even the team. And yet, there was a part of her that just didn't care. A part of her that delighted in the thought.

"I'm going to claim you."

Raven nodded and took a slow breath, trying to calm her nerves. "Do I have any say in the matter?"

"Not really."

)O(

_So, there's chapter fourteen. Not exactly the most exciting chapter, but I had to put it in there so… there it is. I will probably up the rating for Chapter 15, just to give you a heads up. Let me know your thoughts, comments, and reactions. I love to hear from everyone!_


	15. Chapter 15

**Honeythief  
**_Chapter Fifteen_

)O(

Raven kept silent as the Jeep bounced down the non-road that was nothing more than a deer path. Branches whipped at the sides, but that didn't keep her from hanging out the window. Being in such close quarters with Robin's scent drove her wild, and she'd been in the vehicle for almost two hours now. She laid her head on the door and breathed in the smell of the woods at night. It was the sweet scent of moonlit dew and pine. Everything seemed so new to her, movement, scent, even sounds felt fresh and different.

They had left right after their friends headed home, and Raven's stomach twisted as she thought about the week to come. She looked over at Robin, who was concentrating on the underbrush ahead of him. She was hungry, just as he predicted and the suspense of what was going to happen made the feeling worse. She knew that he would take care of her, that there shouldn't be anything to fear in their joining… but still. The idea made her nervous. What would happen to them after Robin claimed her? Would they go back to being heroes? Would Robin keep her boxed up on a shelf where she was safe from harm? Or would their joining be nothing? What if, by some cruel twist of fate, Robin and her were never meant to be with one another?

"Stop worrying. Everything is going to be fine, Raven." Raven tried to respond, but she found there wasn't anything she could say that would make her feel better. Were they going to be fine? Or was it just an empty promise? Raven wasn't sure what this would change between them, but she wasn't sure she wanted to find out.

Robin took a sharp left and broke through the tree line when the deer path turned into a gravel drive. Silver moonlight spilled across a crystal calm lake, as mountains rose in the background. Next to the lake sat a sprawling log structure that looked more like a woodsy luxury home than a cabin. Robin parked the Jeep next to the east wall and jumped out. Raven sat there, staring at the lake, shimmering like glass. After a moment of awe, she crawled out and walked up to the water. There was the soothing sound of small waves lapping at the rocky shore and Raven felt her body relax. There was something serene and calming about this place, as if it were a little piece of heaven on earth.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"I thought you'd like it." Robin's warm breath tickled her ear and send shivers down her spine. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into the shelter of his body. Raven stiffened for a moment, not used to the sensation of being hugged. It felt unusual, but not unwelcome. There was something warm and comforting about just being held, especially by some one strong and protecting like Robin. It felt like no one would ever harm her again, and Raven slowly sunk into the feeling. Robin's hands slipped under her t-shirt and traced the scar on her stomach. "I'm sorry, Raven… I didn't make it in time to save you." He spoke the words into her hair, shielding his emotions from her.

Raven craned her neck around and stared at him. "Are you still caught up over that?"

Robin let his arms fall to the side, and he gave an exasperated sigh. "Of course. It didn't have to be like this. You didn't have to be… a _vampire_." He spit the word out like poison.

"I would be dead." Raven took a step away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. "That would have been better?"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." Robin rolled his eyes and walked to the Jeep to grab their bags. Raven shook her head and followed him. Why couldn't he just accept that this was unchangeable? It wasn't his fault, and Raven didn't blame him in the least. But that didn't stop him from blaming himself.

"I would have been _dead_, Robin." She caught up to him and touched him. The muscles flinched in his arm, and he looked down at her, frowning. Raven's heart skipped a beat as his strong eyes bore into her. What was making him so upset? She managed to find her voice. "_Dead_. I don't have any doubt in my mind that if the rolls had been switched, and you lay dying on my lap, I would have done everything in my power to save you. Don't blame yourself for being faced with a difficult decision." Raven grabbed her bag and started for the house.

"I'm not going to let this go, Raven." Robin chased after her, and the scent of his anger touched her nose. Her heart skipped a few beats at the fragrance, but she wasn't going to let him get the upper hand. Not tonight. "You're going to drive me insane with your nonchalance. This isn't a 'mistake', it's a debacle. You shouldn't have to bear this curse."

He had no idea what a "curse" was. Living with her birthmark was a curse, this new body was just a change. Raven whipped around and Robin skidded to a halt in front of her. She glared at him for a minute before talking. "I'm trying not to lose my temper with you right now, but you're making it hard. You dragged me out here, in the middle of nowhere might I add, to 'claim' me, and now you're starting fights with me. What do you _want_?"

Robin threw his bag down and took a step forward, pressing his body close to her. Electricity arced between them, and Raven could smell the sweet scent of anger and desire swirl around him. She stepped forward so their bodies just barely brushed and glared up at him, but he just stared down at her. The air was tangible and thick with emotion. One more spark and the conflagration would be unstoppable. "I swear, Raven, I'm going to hush that pretty mouth of yours by the end of the night." The promise rippled down her spine in waves of desire and Raven smirked.

"Try."

That was one word she should not have uttered. Robin, without any other thought bent down and threw Raven over his shoulder. There was a moment of silent surprise where she didn't know what to say or do, she was shocked. Did he just… _really_? Robin picked up their bags and shoved open the front door. If Raven hadn't been so angry she might have enjoyed the beautiful stone fireplace, and the warm glow the rustic-wood chandelier cast on the over-stuffed sofa. In the bedroom, she might have appreciated the intricately carved four-poster bed with thick, wool covers in varying shades of burgundy and hunter green. Robin dropped their bags, threw her down on the bed, and glared at her.

He frowned. "You really want to push my buttons today, don't you?"

Raven pushed herself into a sitting position and returned his stare. "Yes."

"You are going to get it, Raven."

"Oh, hush." Raven swung her legs over the edge of the bed and pressed a hand to her head. This game was starting to get tiresome. "I'm tired, cranky, and I'm getting a headache from this mess." She stood up, grabbed her bag and retreated to the lush bathroom. "I'm going to get ready for bed. And _you're_ sleeping on the sofa tonight. Or this morning… _whatever_." Raven slammed the bathroom door definitively, pretending not to hear the groan or thrown pillow from Robin. He deserved it anyway, throwing a hissy fit like that was sure to tick her off and he knew it. While she understood _why_ he was upset, that wasn't going to change their situation.

Raven unzipped her bag and stared inside, her stomach falling to the floor. They had left in such a hurry that night, that Raven didn't have time to pact her own bag. Instead of wasting time, Alfred packed it before she left, and she didn't think anything of it. Just t-shirts and jeans, right? Wrong. Oh, how wrong she was. Nothing but silk and lace stared back at her. Raven rifled through the bag, her heart sinking with each movement. There wasn't even a pair of sweatpants! In fact, the closest thing she got to something reasonable was a pair of purple, silky boxer shorts with black lace edging. She stared at them, her face falling. Exactly _what_ did Alfred think they were going to be doing all week?

Muttering curses under her breath, Raven pulled on the shorts and matching top. She left the bag on the floor and opened the door a crack to peak out into the bedroom. It was empty and the bed was missing a pillow. Good. Maybe Robin had gone into the living room and would stay there all night. Raven stepped into the bedroom and walked around, examining her surroundings. There was a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that showed the glass-smooth lake with the mountains rising in the distance. Raven sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the scene for a few minutes, beginning to understand why Robin wanted to bring her out here. It was simply beautiful.

It did nothing to calm her hot-temper though.

"Are you done being angry?"

Raven turned around to see Robin leaning against the door frame, watching her. She frowned. "No." She stood up and started to peel the covers off the bed, ignoring his shocked stare that followed her around the room. "So you're more than welcome to sleep out on the sofa." There was a long pause, and Raven caught the sharp scent of hot blood and desire. Her heart skipped a beat and she looked over at Robin, feeling her hunger spike and claw at her. She swallowed hard and pushed hair out of her face, pretending everything was normal. "What?"

"_What_ are you wearing?"

Raven frowned and put her hands on her hips. "I didn't pack my bag, Alfred did. So, don't get any ideas."

"Too late." Robin walked into the room, and made his way to her side of the bed. A smirk played on his lips and he pressed her back into the bed. "_Alfred_ packed your bag? Remind me to thank him later."

"You're such a cad." Raven tried to shove at his chest, but Robin snagged her small hand in his. There was an explosion of heat between them before Robin's foot caught her ankle and pulled her feet out from under her. Raven tumbled back onto the bed, staring up at his massive figure, watching her move against the sheets. Her heart skipped another beat, and she tried to get the upper hand. Right now she was desperate for anything to distract her from the fire he was starting. "I will seriously beat you if this doesn't stop right now."

Robin licked his lips, looking like a predator about to enjoy his prey. "Worth it." He crawled over her body, blocking out the warm light that filled the room. Raven moved restlessly, trying to get away from the inevitable fire he was going to start in her blood. Robin straddled her hips and captured her wrists in his hands. Raven stared up at him, trying to ignore the scent that worked its way into her senses. She felt his rough hands stroke the inside of her arms before he leaned down at kissed her.

All bets were off. Raven leaned up into his kiss, a small whimper escaping. Robin buried his fingers into her hair, moving her head to the side slightly, opening her mouth. He tongue slipped into her mouth and fought for dominance against hew own. He nipped at her lips before his mouth trailed to her ear, and then down the column of her neck. Robin nuzzled her jugular before he ran his tongue along a vein, tasting her skin.

Raven couldn't suppress the moan that escaped, and she pressed her hands against his chest, feeling his pulse pick up underneath her touch. Her world skidded to a halt, and she stared up at her. What was she doing? She needed to stop this immediately or it was going to get out of hand. "Robin… stop."

His hands, which had found their way under her shirt, stilled and he leaned back, watching her from beneath his lashes. The desire and frustration spiked the air with a spicy, musky scent. Raven found her body reacting to it against her own will. She didn't want this, but is smelled _so good_. Robin frowned as he glanced at the clock. "I'll give you _one_ minute to give a good argument as to why I shouldn't take you right now, consequences be damned."

"Because…" Raven chewed on her lower lip. Why shouldn't he? There was no doubt in her mind that she loved him unconditionally, that being a vampire had nothing to do wither feelings for him. He saved her life. He was her best friend. He nearly boiled her blood every time he touched her. But what if she wasn't the one he really wanted? What if he was just _attracted _to her, not in love with her? What if this one night destroyed _everything_ they had between them as teammates, friends, even as a couple? "Because…"

"Thirty seconds." Robin's hands moved to cup her face. He feathered his thumbs over her lips and it took all of Raven's energy not to sigh with content.

"Because what if I'm not your real mate? What if you bind yourself to me and find out this was all a big mistake?" Raven had closed her eyes, hoping to hide from his reaction. She could still smell his shock, his frustration, and even a little sadness. Her stomach turned and she opened an eye to look at him. He was shaking his head and frowning. Robin rolled off her and stretched out on the bed, pulling her body into his. There was a moment of silence, and Raven could feel him trying to think about what he was going to say to her.

"Now?" Robin whispered into her hair. He rested his chin on top of her head, forcing Raven to cuddle with him. She had never "cuddled" with anyone in her life. The sensation was… well, Raven enjoyed it. What was he turning her into? Now she enjoyed hugging _and_ cuddling? The next thing you knew she was going to enjoy long walks on the beach and stuffed animals. Robin kissed her forehead. "That's what you're worried about? That what we have between us is nothing more than a mistake?"

"Yes." Raven closed her eyes and buried her face into his neck.

Robin sighed. "Raven… what we have isn't a mistake. It isn't something I'll ever regret. I… Raven, I love you." The words made Raven's heart sputter to a stop. It took awhile before the words sunk into her heart, and she managed to find the truth in them. Was that what this was between them? Love? For years Raven had thought it had just been a nuisance of ungrounded emotions, but having _him_ say that magical little word changed everything. "I have loved you for years now… since that moment you came into my life. Binding myself to you is something I _want_ to do, not out of some stupid hormonal attraction." He tipped her chin up so her eyes met his. A blush crossed his cheeks and he glanced away for a second. "Truth? This is something I've dreamed of… way before I became _this_."

Raven didn't know what to say. She blinked a few times before finding her voice. "You dreamed about having sex with me?"

Robin's face darkened a few more shades. "I could make even you blush with the things I've dreamed about."

Raven tried to respond, but she found there was nothing to say. Exactly _what_ could she say about that? "But…"

"Raven? I will only tell you this once, not because I'm angry but because I'm getting frustrated. So, _please_, just: Shut. Up." Robin's mouth descended on hers, and Raven found herself not needing to say anything. He poured every ounce of his feelings and emotions into that one kiss, that Raven found it was hard to tell where his love left off and hers began. Robin pressed her into the covers, his hands caging her body into his embrace. But Raven didn't want to escape this time. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his body close, she felt him smile against her lips. He pulled away and smirked at her. "Changing your mind?"

"If I can't talk, neither can you." Raven nipped at his ear, earning a heady moan from Robin. His hands slid under her top and yanked it above her head with force. Raven blushed as the cool air touched her bare skin and she tried to move her body so that she wasn't so _exposed_, but Robin didn't let her. He snatched her wrists and pressed them against the bed, and then he just sat there. Staring. Raven colored a few shades darker and she felt her anger spike. Was there something wrong with her that he just sat there in disappointed silence? Was it her scar? "_What_? Is this not what you're expecting?"

"No. I… Raven… you're _beautiful_." Robin kissed her clavicle, his teeth scraping against her collar bone. Her body jumped and goose-bumps covered her skin. He knew how to touch her just right to forget that she was supposed to be angry at him. There was a sour laugh and he pulled away to look into her eyes. In their onyx depths, Raven could see a shimmer of self-doubt. "I'm worried I'm going to mess this up." He pressed his hand against her scar. "Like I messed this up."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his face. He wasn't getting out of this one. He started this fire, he was going to put it out if it was the last thing he did. "You're as bad as me. Will you just shut up and make love to me before I change my mind?"

Robin just smiled and kissed her again. His hands wandered over her skin, brushing and dipping into all the secret hollows of her body. He cupped her breasts, running his thumbs over her nipples. Raven bit back a moan, and her face flushed as her stared at her, watching her face as he played. His fingers slid along her sides, tracing her hour-glass figure before dipping into her belly-button and beneath her shorts. Robin didn't even hesitate as he peeled her clothing off. This time Robin stepped back off the bed and watched her. Raven flushed again and closed her eyes, hoping to block out the sensation. Did he have to keep staring at her like that?

"I want to remember this, Raven." Robin's voice was dark and husky, as if he was in excruciating pain. She cracked open an eye, and stared up at him. Some where in the silence he'd gotten undressed. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to look at him. _He_ was beautiful. A chiseled masterpiece from Michelangelo. The moonlight caught every hollow and shape and Raven felt, for a moment, that she was looking at something more than just a man. "This is more than just a night, Raven. This is me and you." Robin took a step closer and crawled over her again. "And I love you."

Robin's fingers picked up where they left off, and he traced the shape of her thighs. He pressed a finger against her center. Raven whimpered and her head fell back against the sheets as he moved inside her. He knew what he was doing, that was for sure. Raven tried to remember what her arguments were against this, but with Robin doing what he was, it was hard. His mouth found her breast, licked, nipped, and pulled at her nipple until the blossom of heat in her stomach had turned into white lightning, consuming her whole body. Raven moaned as her back arched into his mouth.

Robin kissed his way up to her neck, tasting her skin. He nuzzled underneath her chin, wallowing in her scent like he had when Raven met him as a vampire. He scraped his teeth along her pulse and Raven moaned again. Her skin _hurt_. As if every nerve-ending was on fire, and all she wanted was to be free of this conflagration. She was so hot, and Robin wasn't helping as he teased and played, bringing her to the edge, but not pushing her over. She moved against him as Robin crawled over her body, testing his weight on her.

He grabbed her wrists, and stretched her body out against the covers. Raven felt strangely like a sacrifice, set out for a hungry vampire. Robin parted her legs and settled between them. He lifted his head, a look of remorse in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Raven… this is going to hurt." Robin pressed forward, stretching her to the point of burning. She tried to struggle against the pressure, but Robin held her pinned against the sheets. He whispered another apology against her neck, then surged forward past her innocence. Raven let out a cry as the pain ripped through her. He wasn't lying, it bordered near agony. Robin stilled for a moment, whispering soothing words against her skin. Raven was going to punch him for this later.

Robin began to move; long sure strokes against her body, making sure the pain ebbed away. Raven felt her breath catch in her chest. Somewhere in this exchange it became less about their pleasure, and more bout their joining. She felt her heart untie its self from her body, searching for her mate. The one who would take care of her, protect her, and love her for the rest of her life. She looked up at Robin, her chest tightening. They were made for each other. As silly and juvenile as it sounded to her, it was the truth. Robin had been made for her.

He nuzzled her neck as he picked up his pace. Raven's hands feathered against his back, trying to hold on to something solid as they reached past them selves and into each other. He licked her throat, tracing the pulse. Once. Twice. Robin bit down, and Raven's body exploded into a million shards of light. She screamed as he continued to move against her, giving her such intense pleasure, that it bordered on pain. After Raven found her way back to earth, he picked his head up from her neck, closing the wound with a stroke of his tongue.

"Bite me." His voice was hard and raspy, as if he was in the same state of chaos that Raven was. "Please, Raven… _please._" Raven didn't need to be asked twice. She was hungry, and the thought of feeding from her mate was more than delicious. Raven nuzzled his neck, enjoying the scent of his pleasure. She tasted his skin once before biting down. Warm liquid spilled into her mouth and down her throat. It was delicious, thick and heady, like warm cider. Robin tasted better than he smelled, and that was saying something. He convulsed against her body and moaned her name into her ear. Raven picked her head up from his neck, tasting the last few drops of blood on his neck.

They lay there, entwined in each others arms for a few moments of silence before Raven felt him smile against her neck, and a chuckle escaped. He licked her throat one more time, sending aftershocks through her body again. "That was better than I could have imagined."

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult." Raven frowned and tried to move, but he kept her pinned.

"I have a very _vivid_ imagination when it comes to you." Robin nipped at her collarbone as she flushed red. "So, it's a compliment." He picked up his head and kissed her softly on the lips. He licked a few drops of blood off her lower lip, before picking himself up. Raven laid there, watching his body with appreciation as he peeled back the covers of the bed. There was a part of her that could really get used to this. "C'mon, Rae… it's time for some sleep."

"Finally." Raven stood up and began searching for her discarded boxers, but Robin grabbed her arm.

"No clothing tonight." His boyish grin made her heart sputter to a stop. She tried to frown, but the promise was a little too enticing. "If you get cold, just let me know and I'll warm you up."

"You're terrible." Raven swatted at his arm, but he just pulled her back into the bed.

"Yeah, but you're stuck with me."

"I guess I am."

Robin caught her earlobe between his teeth and nibbled, earning another whimper from Raven. "At least you're accepting it."

"Go to sleep, vampire boy."

Raven felt him pout against her neck. "Pft. Good night, Rae."

)O(

_So, I debated on whether or not I was going to put this lemon in here. I just feel like my lemons always end up super awkward. But then again… maybe I'm just awkward. Whatever. I don't think this is the end of _Honeythief._ I know there'll be at least one more chapter, but I feel like there are a lot of loose ends left to tie up. And I'm debating on whether or not to bring Jinx back in. We'll see. Anyway, let me know if you enjoyed it. I love you hear from everyone. _

_I feel like I have to plug this story I found the other day, Sarah Cabbage Patch wrote this fantastic story with vampires-ish… anyway, if you like Dick Grayson (and who doesn't) and Raven and historical romance, please check out _**The Darkness that Beckons.**

With love always: Xaph!

OH! I forgot to share my funny review with you! I got this _hilarious_ anonymous review from some dork named "Rated T for Terrible" (if that _is_ your real name!) in which he went off about how terrible my story was and it was stupid that Robin was a vampire, that he wanted Raven, and Roy wanted Raven. And the thing I found HILARIOUS about it, was that not only did the doofus read my summary and still proceeded to read this "awful" story, but he knew that Roy had an attraction for Raven. Which meant that he had to read through 50 thousand words before "deciding" this story was awful. OMG. Why sit through all that if it's so terrible? I busted a gut reading it. Anyway, that's my story, thanks for listening! Don't forget to check out** The Darkness that Beckons.**

With love always: Xaph!


	16. Epilogue

**Honeythief  
**_Epilogue_

)O(

_"I did something bad, Ester." There was a long pause on the other end of the conversation. Robin could hear her breath catch in her chest, and his heart fell into his stomach. This wasn't a "mistake" anymore, it was something more. Something a lot bigger than Robin could admit._

_"You turned her?"_

_"Yes."_

_There was another pause, this one more painful than the last. Finally, Ester spoke. "She is half-demon. What his will do to her… I have no idea. Her bloodline is already volatile because of _what _she is, what she had _become _I can't tell you. Your bloodline was corrupt, and now turning someone of the opposite sex… this is every bad scenario wrapped into one situation."_

_Robin didn't want to hear that. He wanted answers, suggestions, more than anything he wanted confirmation that what he did was okay, that this was justifiable because of the circumstances. He didn't want to have the blade of condemnation to hang over his head until he died. He needed anything, _anyone_, to tell him that everything was going to be okay. That Raven was going to be okay. "She was _dying._ I had no other options, it was let her die or let her live."_

_"You may have created a full-blooded vampire or something worse, you do realize this?"_

_Robin winced. "I know."_

_Ester sighed and Robin could hear the sound of her nails clicking on a table. The noise made him uncomfortable, as if he was being chastised. "I do not know what circumstances prompted this, I can only tell you the decision was a bad one. It was not the worst, but it _was _bad."_

_"What should I do now?"_

_There was a shred of humorless laughter. "You cannot undo what has been done. Believe me, I have tried."_

_Robin ran his hands through his hair and tried not to throw the phone at the wall. His guilt felt poisonous, like some one had shoved a fang into his chest and was watching him die slowly. He took a deep breath, trying to still his shaking limbs. "But that doesn't help me. What should I do? I've turned my best friend into this… this _abomination _and there's nothing I can do about it, but watch her suffer."_

_"You must learn to do what the rest of us did. We learned to cope, and most of us are successful and proud of what we are." There was another long pause, and Robin had almost thought Ester had hung up. She cleared her throat. "Claim her. That is the only thing you can do at this point. It will keep her safe, and you both will have someone to learn and experience with. It's the best option. However, if you find some impossible 'cure' let me know. I'll be very interested to see what it is."_

_"I can't claim her… I…" Robin frowned and stopped short, trying to wipe his mind clear of the image of Raven writhing beneath him in pleasure. Calling out his name. Bound to him. That's not what he should be thinking about now, he should be focused on saving her soul. On keeping Raven as she had always been. But the image took root, and Robin couldn't shake his mind of it. "I just can't."_

_Ester laughed. "You bound her to you long before she was a vampire." There was a soft, thoughtful pause. "When we saw you two in the hotel, you shouldn't have been unable to resist us. We were in heat, waiting for a male. The fact that you stayed put and chased after us _only _for answers is proof of the relationship you held before. She's your mate, whether you believe it or not." _

_"I…" Robin didn't need to say anything, and so he kept quiet. "Thank you, Ester. I appreciate all the help you've given us."_

_"Anytime."_

)O(

Robin woke up just before dawn peeked over the mountain tops. There was a muffled but peaceful stillness that filled the air, like a million invisible cotton-balls. The soft body next to him shifted slightly, and he pulled Raven closer. She frowned and wrinkled her nose, unused to the sensation of just being held. His mate. He looked down at her head, buried against his neck and traced the cool, misshapen scar. Ice-cold guilt entered his veins. That was his fault. He should have stopped the fight before it got out of hand. He should have done something. Pray. Sell his soul. Anything else, than to turn her into _this_.

She groaned slightly and her fingers dug into his bicep. Robin kissed the top of her head and her grip relaxed. At least now she was safe. _He_ was safe. He knew that there would never be another woman in his life, _ever_. No more pining over unclaimed females. Robin thought back to a few days earlier when Raven had been chasing Jinx through Bruce's foyer. Jinx smelled… _gross_. It was no longer the sweet scent of honey and mint, but the scent of decaying flesh. The only scent that called to him was lavender and plums. Raven.

Robin breathed in deep, taking in the remaining scent of their lovemaking, found he enjoyed the spicy and sweet fragrance. He looked down at Raven again and remembered their night. The way they moved together was like a symphony for just the two of them. He could have sworn there was more than just a few measly fireworks, there was a whole damn pyrotechnics team. It was more than just physical, it was beautiful. They were joined through the body and through their heart.

Ugh. That sounded sappy, even in his own mind.

If someone had told him a year ago that he would be bound to Raven for life, he would have laughed. Raven had always been his best friend, but she was dark, cold, stoic, and whole slew of other things that Robin never equated with himself. But these past few weeks… Raven was more than just the creepy girl on the team, she was his conscience, his companion, she was his mate. She had so many emotions in her, it just took a little effort to find them all. And Robin was never one to give up on a challenge.

"Is it morning already?" Raven pulled the covers over her head and moved closer to Robin's warmth. He was unable to squash his grin as her breasts pressed against his chest. Heaven.

"Almost." He pressed his face against her neck and kissed her. She grumbled a curse and tried to push him away, but he'd already got what he wanted. He slid his hands up and down her back, listening to her soft breathing. Robin could tell she was happy with him touching her, but didn't want to admit it. That was Raven, stubborn as a mule. "Do you want breakfast?"

Raven peeked one eye out from under the covers, and Robin could tell she was trying to decide if there was an intentional euphemism. She frowned a little and pulled the comforter down to her chin. "Maybe… what's for breakfast? If you say 'sausage' I will punch that frat-boy in you."

"Eggs?" Robin winced as she kicked him. "What was that for?"

"It was prepayment for something dirty I'm sure you're thinking about."

She flashed her teeth, and Robin almost swore he saw her fangs start to peek out. She was itching for a fight again. He rolled his eyes and got out of bed. "You know me too well." He peeled the covers off her and left them hanging over the end of the bed, exposing her nude body to the cool morning air. "There, cool down, vampire-girl."

"Shut up." Raven fumbled for the edge of the blankets as Robin headed into the kitchen.

The fridge had been stocked the day before hand with everything a hungry vampire could want. Eggs, juice, bread, meat… some pints of blood. He stared at the fridge before closing it and heading to the coffee pot. He needed something to wake him up if he was going to have to deal with Raven all day. Robin listened to the pot sputter as it brewed and watched the sun peak over the mountains. It was going to be beautiful today. Maybe they would go hiking, or swimming… scratch that, maybe they would go skinning dipping. Robin smirked at the thought of a soaking wet, naked Raven. That was a much more interesting prospect that walking up a hill.

Moan.

Robin was startled from his daydream by the sound of Raven's voice, moaning in pain. He blinked a few times at the bedroom door. Maybe she was just waking up? She moaned again, and there was the sound of her body moving restlessly against the sheets. Robin's heart sunk into his stomach. Something was _really _wrong. He ran into the bedroom to find Raven writhing on the sheets, her skin bright red and beginning to blister. She tried to speak to him, but the sound came out as a pained hiss. It took a few seconds for Robin's mind to register what was happening, but it hit him like a brick.

The sun was burning her. It was poisonous.

His stomach knotted and he felt bile rise into his throat. What had he done? How could this have happened? He ran to the covers and pulled them over her body, tucking the edged underneath her, before running to the windows and closing the light-blocking shades. He stared at her now still body, watching her chest pulse up and down in a strange, disjointed pattern. Raven's breath was coming in short, raspy inhales as she fumbled for the edge of the covers and let an angry, red arm fall to the floor. "Rae?"

"He…lp…" Raven's breath echoed like broken bells in the room. "I'm… hot."

Robin didn't wait another second, he wrapped the covers around her tightly and picked her up into the windowless bathroom. Sure enough, her skin was hot, to the point of burning, and it almost hurt to hold her. He turned the bath faucet and filled it with cool water and set Raven in. There was a moment that she didn't appear living, and Robin felt his head start to whither. Finally, she turned stared up at him with empty eyes, as if someone had just knocked the wind out of her.

"Rae… oh my god, Raven… what did I do?" He felt the tears start to prick his eyes. Why wasn't she like him? Why was the sun deadly to her and not to him? How had such a terrible mistake happened? Could he fix it? "I'm sorry…"

"Well…" Raven sunk lower into the cool water and sighed. "We learned something new today." Her limbs were still shaking, but her skin was starting to turn back to its normal alabaster color, and her face wasn't so empty. She pressed her hands to her face and took a long, deep breath. "I apparently can't do sun any more." There was a hint of remorse in her voice, and it just tugged at Robin even more.

"I… I'm sorry, Raven." Robin grabbed her hand and frowned. "I… I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Will you just shut up?" Raven snatched her hand back and managed a glare through her shock. Robin tried not to snort in response. Only Raven would be angry at him for being upset about the fact that he just ruined her life. "This isn't your fault, and I don't blame you. It's just something new we're going to have to adjust to."

"But…" Robin tried to think of something to say to her, but she threw a washcloth at him.

"Really? You just can't shut up?" Raven sunk lower into the bath and glared. "This isn't the end of the world. We are both new at this, and we'll just have to learn about this together." Her words hit close to his heart, and Robin was reminded of the conversation he had with Ester a few days ago, which had all but left his mind. This was more than just a coupling between friends, this was forever. They would live together, learn together, experience together. And even if they stayed a vampire forever, they were still together. She was _his mate_, whether he liked it or not.

But, he found he liked it. A lot.

"What are you smiling at?"

)O(

_Yes. That's the end. I know, awkward right? I tried to write a real chapter, tried to keep this story going… but it didn't want to go anywhere. I wanted to show you what their life would be like as vampires, but I realized I had already did that, so I tried other things. I brought them back to Bruce's, to Jump, to Ester, and I even tried to bring Jinx in, but the story just stared at me and said, "No. I'm done, but thank you for trying." It was done. And while I am sad to see it ending, it feels better this way. Much better. _

_I cannot express how lovely it's been having everyone with me on this rollercoaster ride of a story, for putting up with the fact that I am not always the most magnificent proof-reader, and that sometimes my plot lines go in curves. I love you, except _Rated T for Terrible. _I don't love you. Dorkasauras-Rex over there has made it his personal vendetta to follow me around and bitch about my non-canon pairings, seeing as he hunted down __Wide Awake__ and bitched there too. Look, if I wanted Robin and Starfire together, I'd just watch the dang show from start to finish. _

_And I'm off my soapbox. _

_If you're hankering for some more delicious Richard Grayson and Raven action with a touch a vampires, please check out_ **The Darkness that Beckons**, _by Sarah Cabbage Patch. She's got the second chapter up and I was bouncing on my seat with anticipation. Glorious!_

_And in conclusion, I would like to leave you with this, a sneak-peek at my next project of ridiculous proportions:_ **Little Blue Riding Hood**. _It is a Raven/Speedy story that follows my one-shot __Curiosity,__ and was heavily influenced by _999_'s "Li'l Red Riding Hood" (which is a kick-ass song) and _titangirl797_'s Speedy/Raven story __Robin Hood__ and was prompted (to write a chaptered Rae/Roy story) by _TeenTitansGirl_. But even if you are impartial to the pairing, I promise it will be amusing and filled with all kinds of… _whatever_ it is that I write._

)O(

When Mumbo attacks Raven and Speedy (again) they find themselves in the middle of the most ridiculous fairytale ever. With companions like the redheaded Rapunzle, the super-fast gingerbread man, and the little… er… mer_man_, how could this adventure get any weirder?

Oh yeah, arrow-toting "Robin Hood" has the hots for Little Blue.

So, here it is: **Little Blue Riding Hood **(unedited, not final draft)

Raven threw open the door with a bang and tumbled into the dark alley behind the club. The noise and stench of liquor, cheap perfume, and cigarettes followed her into the darkness outside, but at least the emotions didn't swarm her anymore. And she could grasp onto a few snippets common sense and her own thoughts. She ran a shaky hand through her hair and tried to calm her furiously beating heart. Whose idea was it to go out to a _club_? And why, in all of the nine hells, did she agree?

And _why,_ oh_ WHY_, did the Titans East have to be here? Raven thought she was done with him. That whatever had happened between them three months ago had been a fluke. A bubble of strange emotions that had been popped, never to resurface again. But he stood there, in the corner of the club, eyes boring into her until she felt _hot_. Like her skin was on fire and she was naked to only him. Why had she let him kiss her those three months ago?

Raven pressed her forehead against the cool, brick wall, grateful for the distraction. The emotions were running rampant in that stupid club, and the feel of it all running down her spine made her want to throw up. Roy being here didn't help, either. She looked deeper into the alley and saw two figures doing _something_ against the wall. Great. Because, that helped too.

She took a few, deep lung-fuls of air and tried to ignore the way her body trembled under all the _feelings_. The stupid couple in the alley, the dregs of the drunken passion from inside the club, and the fact the every time she closed her eyes all she saw was Roy's honey-colored gaze staring back at her. Damnit. She was _so_ stupid.

"You okay?"

Raven's heart fell into her stomach and she turned around to face the bane of her existence. The one who had haunted her thoughts nearly every night. She swallowed some air and took a step away from him, but ended up pinned against the wall. Just like last time. She forced a frown and tried to grab onto the last few shreds of sanity that were left in her. "Fine. Are you enjoying the party?" Damnit. Why did she say that? Now she was going to have to carry on a conversation with him. In the tower it had been easy to avoid him, pretending that there were other things going on that needed her attention. But here in this alley… she had no defenses against him.

Roy shrugged. "It's alright." He gave her a curious look. "Are you sure you're okay? I saw you get out of there real quick. I wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"Fine." Raven repeated.

"Mm." Roy leaned against the wall next to her, blocking the opening into the street. "You know what they say about being fine?" Raven shook her head, hoping this would be the end of their conversation. She could at least _hope_. "Fucked-up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional. F.I.N.E."

Raven rolled her eyes. "How very mature, Roy."

"You looked like you were ten seconds from killing someone." Roy pushed himself to his feet and watched her, trying to decide if she was really okay. He needed to stop looking at her. "Well, at least I was being nice by trying to save someone's life."

"Now you're being an ass." Roy frowned in response to her words, and Raven almost swore she saw a glimmer of hurt in his eyes before being covered up. She cringed and looked away. She didn't need to be _rude _to him, she just needed to avoid him. At all possible costs.

"So…" He looked her up and down, and Raven felt her heart skip a beat. She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. He didn't need to leer. "What are you supposed to be?"

"Raven, a member of the Titans." She rolled her eyes. "I haven't ever dressed up for Halloween, and I never will. I like being me, thank you very much, _Robin Hood_."

"Jeez." Roy rolled his eyes and took a step back, putting well-needed space between them. Raven managed a few fresh breaths before he continued. "You're touchy this evening, Raven. I haven't seen you in months and you bite my head off. What's wrong?"

"I just… I just don't do well around a lot of people, and this is driving me close to insane." She rubbed the back of her neck and looked away, hoping he didn't see the lie in her eyes. "And I'm getting a headache from all of this emotion."

"Oh, that's an easy fix. Come here." Roy, without being asked or invited, stepped right into her personal space, pushing her against the wall. Raven's breath hitched and her heart sped up as flashbacks of their last encounter started to resurface. He pushed down her hood, and slipped his fingers behind her neck, burying in her hair. His fingertips ran slow, deep circles into her neck, easing the tense muscles. Raven closed her eyes, tried to pretend this wasn't happening.

But it was.

And she loved it

…

(later)

…

Raven tried not to scream, she tried to hold onto her sanity, but she was slipping. "Again? We're _here_ again?"

Roy closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please… don't remind me what 'here' is, Raven." He popped open one eye, and then the other, and then his mouth fell to the floor. "_What_ in the name of all that is holy, are you wearing?"

Raven looked down at herself, and felt her stomach rise into her throat. She was dressed in a short little, poufy red dress with a fluffy white blouse, with red and white lace edging. White knee-high stockings covered her legs while she stared down at a pair of black, patent leather Mary-Jane heels. Oh no. Raven closed her eyes and tried to imagine this all away. She tried not to think about the fact that she was in a _dress_, that was poufy and covered with lace, standing in front of Roy, while in the middle of Mumbo's hat.

She tried not to think about a lot of things.

But her luck was running out.


	17. Sequel Preview: Make Me Wanna Die

UPDATE! Below are _completely unedited _scenes from Honeythief's sequel Make Me Wanna Die. I wanted to give everyone a small sneak peek at what's coming next!

**Make Me Wanna Die **

"Take me, I'm alive, never was a girl with a wicked mind  
But everything looks better, when the sun goes down."  
- _Make Me Wanna Die, _Pretty Wreckless

)O(

"You are making me nervous!"

Raven rolled her eyes as Robin's voice crackled over the communicator. The streets seemed to speed beneath her in smooth gray patterns as she flew between the buildings. Robin's motorcycle was a blur of red, staining the darkness below her. She looked up, seeing the beginnings of young dawn starting to appear over the tops of the buildings, and Raven was started to feel warm. "I can tell."

"We've got five minutes until the sun breaks the horizon." She heard the snap of irritated teeth, and the hum as his engine worked to keep up with her. "Raven, I will personally turn you over my knee and spank you if you are not in our room in three."

"Ha!" Raven snorted. "You'd like that too much."

"Dude! TMI!" Beast Boy made a gagging noise. "There are things I just don't want to know."

Raven chuckled as she slid between buildings. "Sorry, Beast Boy." She felt a grin spread across her lips. "You want to know what blood-"

"NO!" Beast Boy's protest could be heart across blocks. "Raven! Seriously! Bleh. You're gonna make me throw up."

"This is not the time for joking." Raven thought she heard Robin's teeth ground together over the communicator. She fought back a snarky comment and ignored his angry demands. "Four minutes!"

"Jeez." Raven rolled her eyes again, seeing the edge of the bay smoothing the rough edges of the city. The sleepy eyes of the tower seemed to glisten with dim lights from barges moving slowly through the water. "Look, we're three minutes away."

. . .

Raven felt the first rays of sun strike her cloak and the scent of warmth filled her nose. There was a split second of peace, like a runner's high, and her stomach turned in delight. The high was immediately replaced by fire, and she fought against the pain that struck her eyes. Damnit. Too long. She mustered the last bit of strength she had and phased through the side of the building, crashing into her deep covers. Her breath caught in her chest, and she coughed out a few, thick breaths. She curled up on the sheets, trying keep her limbs from shaking. The door flew open and Raven could see the frown on Robin's face.

"What in the hell were you thinking!" He walked over to her shaking body and grabbed her left hand, which was starting to blister. He growled before grabbing "after-sun aloe" and rubbing it onto her skin, trying to heal it quickly. "You can't keep playing these games! You could have been seriously hurt! What would have happened if you were! Raven, are you even listening to me?"

"No." She glared up at him, trying to ignore the pounding in her head. "I'm sorry I can't hear you over your bitching."

"You deserved to be spanked." Robin yanked her cloak off her and glared. She shivered and his gaze softened. His fingers threaded in her hair, brushing away the sweat soaked locks. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." She rolled onto her back, wincing with the movement, and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Robin had done everything he could think of to outfit their room with sun-blocking _anything _trying to protect her. "Ugh. I just need to sleep." Raven fumbled for the edge of the covers and tried to pull it over her head, but Robin grabbed her hand.

"Come on, Rae. Get up. We've got things to do."

She glared. "Like what? It's seven o'clock in the morning and everyone else is going back to bed, why can't we?"

"Because I need to spank you for not listening to me."

"You're impossible." Raven rolled her eyes and yanked the covers over her. "Wake me up in a few hours."

"Rachel Roth. Get up and look at me right now."

Raven snapped her teeth at her mate and sat up. She fought the urge to shove at his shoulders, sometimes she really wondered about her decision to mate with him. "_What_?"

"You _cannot_ keep doing this."

Raven rolled her eyes and stood up, grabbing the aloe from his hands. "I'm _fine_."

"No! You aren't!" He grabbed her blistered wrist and held it in front of her face. "Look at this! What are you trying to prove here?"

Raven glared. "That I'm still human!"

. . .

Robin held his head in his hands. "Please don't tell me what I think you are."

Cybog growled low under his breath and Robin looked over at him. "Bruce, please, I was having a good day man."

"Sorry, guys." Bruce frowned. "I wish I had better news. But, Jinx escaped Arkham last night."

Starfire nodded, her face surprisingly calm. "Friends, we all knew this would happen."

Robin snorted. "Unfortunately."

_Like I said. ROUGH DRAFT. Please look for the final layout soon! I think by 7/18/10 or so. Enjoy Let me know if you like where this is going! I love to hear your thoughts._

_With Love Always: Xaph!_


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